BREAKING: Omo-Agege rejects Oborevwori's apology demand, says Egbetamah's removal violated constitution

Politics

LAGOS, Nigeria (NPA) — The political storm in Delta State deepened today as Senator Ovie Omo‑Agege, Deputy President of the 9th Senate, issued a blistering response to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s demand that he retract a Facebook video, apologise to the Delta State House of Assembly, and embrace what the Governor termed “issue‑based politics.”

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe, Senator Omo‑Agege dismissed the Governor’s demands as unconstitutional and politically motivated. “Our response is straightforward: Read the Constitution. Not selectively. Not conveniently. All of it,” the statement declared.

Government House Fingerprints

The Senator’s office argued that the removal of Hon. Collins Egbetamah from the Delta State House of Assembly was not an independent legislative decision but a directive executed from Government House in Asaba. The Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Ossai Ovie Success, had publicly defended the removal, inadvertently confirming suspicions that the House acted under political instruction. “With that statement, the administration has placed its fingerprints permanently on this unconstitutional act,” Omo‑Agege’s team asserted.

Sustained Persecution

The statement also detailed what it described as a long campaign of persecution against Hon. Egbetamah. For two years, he was allegedly denied salary, allowances, and constituency project funds because he refused to defect from the APC. His loyalty, according to Omo‑Agege, was punished daily until the House finally declared his seat vacant without notice or hearing. “These are not separate acts. They are chapters in the same story of sustained political persecution,” the Senator’s office said.

Constitutional Argument

Central to Omo‑Agege’s rebuttal was the constitutional guarantee of fair hearing. While Governor Oborevwori insisted that Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution made Egbetamah’s removal automatic, Omo‑Agege countered that Section 36 requires due process before any adverse action. “The Supreme Court has held this consistently: even where a constitutional provision mandates a consequence, the affected person must first be heard,” the statement noted.

The Senator’s office questioned why the House acted in a single sitting, with a voice vote and no prior notice, if the law was truly settled. “Settled law does not require haste. Political instruction does,” it argued.

Accuracy of the Video

Governor Oborevwori had described Omo‑Agege’s video as inaccurate, but the Senator’s office challenged him to identify a single falsehood. The video claimed Egbetamah was denied fair hearing, that the removal was rushed and politically motivated, and that the people of Udu were left without representation. “Every statement is accurate. If the Governor believes otherwise, he is invited to identify the specific inaccuracy. We are waiting,” the response said.

Infrastructure vs. Rights

The Governor’s statement had highlighted his administration’s infrastructure achievements, including roads, bridges, hospitals, and welfare programmes. Omo‑Agege acknowledged these claims but dismissed them as irrelevant to the constitutional violation at hand. “A government can launch a thousand infrastructure projects, yet still violate a citizen’s constitutional rights. Responding to a constitutional concern with a list of projects isn’t governance—it’s deflection,” the statement declared.

The Senator’s office also pointed out that Delta State had received over three trillion naira in federal allocations during Oborevwori’s tenure, questioning whether the projects matched the scale of resources. “The roads, bridges, and dialysis machines funded by three trillion naira aren’t acts of generosity; they’re just the bare minimum we should expect,” it said, promising a full accounting in future.

Political Cost Dismissed

Governor Oborevwori suggested that Omo‑Agege’s stance could cost him politically in the 2027 elections. The Senator’s office dismissed this as irrelevant. “He does not calculate the political cost of speaking up for people whose constitutional rights have been violated. He posted that video because it was right,” the statement said.

Final Position

On the Governor’s three demands—withdraw the video, apologise to the House, and embrace issue‑based politics—Omo‑Agege’s office was unequivocal. “Senator Omo‑Agege will not withdraw the video. He respects the House of Assembly as an institution, which is precisely why he holds it to the constitutional standard it abandoned on June 30, 2026,” the statement said.

The Senator insisted that the removal of Hon. Egbetamah disenfranchised the people of Udu, who lost their representative not through conviction, recall, or resignation, but through a politically directed legislative act. “Udu is not a conquered territory. Its mandate is sacred. And Senator Ovie Omo‑Agege will not be bullied into abandoning its people,” the statement concluded.

Court Resolution

The matter, Omo‑Agege’s office emphasised, will ultimately be resolved in court. “The Constitution belongs to every Nigerian. It belongs to the people of Udu. And it will be upheld,” it said.