The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Delta State, and Deputy President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Age, have described the action of the Delta State House of Assembly, DSHA, to declare the seat of the member representing Udu State Constituency, Egbetamah Ovie Collins, vacant following his defection to the party as unconstitutional, unjust, politically motivated, and a threat to democratic principles.

In a statement signed by the Delta State Publicity Secretary of the NDC, McCollins Nwose, and made available to journalists, the party accused the Assembly of applying double standards, noting that politicians who previously defected from the PDP to the APC retained their seats without similar sanctions.

The NDC condemned the decision, saying it amounted to an abuse of legislative powers and an attempt to silence opposition voices in the state.

According to the party, the mandate held by Egbetamah belongs to the people of Udu State Constituency and not to any political party, maintaining that removing him from office over his defection undermines the will of the electorate and violates constitutional provisions.

The NDC called on civil society organisations, democracy advocates, and the people of Delta State to reject what it described as a dangerous precedent and to defend constitutional democracy.

The party reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the democratic rights and mandate of the people.

Similarly, Senator Ovie Omo-Age, condemned the Assembly over the removal of Egbetamah as representative of Udu State Constituency, describing the action as “hasty, arbitrary, oppressive, and illegal.”

In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, the Obarisi of Urhoboland said the House’s decision was not constitutional but a political move.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the reported decision of the Delta State House of Assembly to remove Hon. Collins Egbetamah, the duly elected representative of Udu State Constituency, without a fair hearing.

“This was not constitutional housekeeping. It was a hasty, arbitrary, oppressive, and illegal act intended to achieve a political objective that disparages and injures the people of Udu, the wider Urhobo nation, and Delta state.”

Addressing the legal basis cited by the House, Omo-Agege argued that Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution does not apply without exception.

“The House relies on Section 109(1)(g) as if it admits of no exception. The Constitution provides an exception where a defection arises from a division in the original party.

“That question of fact was never examined in any legislative hearing. There was also no judicial determination. The matter was rushed because a process grounded in the constitutional right to a fair hearing would not have produced the House’s predetermined outcome,” he stated.

Senator Omo-Agege said a legislative mandate cannot be ended without hearing the lawmaker, warning that bypassing due process amounts to tyranny. “A mandate freely given by the people of Udu cannot be extinguished in a single sitting by voice vote. That is disturbing, disrespectful, and unacceptable. It was not the intendment of the framers of our constitution. We are not a Banana Republic,” Omo-Agege warned.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday mocked the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying he was surprised the party still exists and should be allowed to die.

Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking at the commissioning of a road project in the Gaduwa District of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Akpabio, who was reacting to the emergence of a PDP candidate in a recent election, said, “I didn’t know there was still PDP, I am sure he is somewhere and so many other distinguished senators, members of the working committee of the people of the APC, Wike stop confusing us, if a party has died allow it to die,” 

“So members of the working committee, I won’t discuss anything on the working committee of the PDP like I said anything that has died has died,” he stated.

Akpabio praised the Minster of the Federal Capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike on his performance in Abuja.

He said, “In the meantime my dear brother, the minster of the FCT, the performing minster of the FCT, who made his predecessors to look like there came to drink tea in Abuja all these things they are doing I can tell you, people are baffled, you and the president are performing miracles here, ”he said.

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has retained Senate President Godswill Akpabio and several other ranking lawmakers among those whose nomination documents have been processed via the candidates’ nomination portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

Sources familiar with the exercise disclosed that Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole have all received the mandatory Candidate Affidavit Form, while their names have being uploaded to INEC’s nomination portal.

The ruling party has also cleared four serving governors to contest senatorial seats in the 2027 general election. They include Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya.

In Kaduna State, former Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, Senator Shehu Sani and Senator Sunday Marshall Katung also secured clearance to fly their respective party’s flags in the race for Senate seats.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello equally emerged as the APC’s candidate for Kogi Central Senatorial District.

The approved nominees form part of the APC’s 109 senatorial candidates whose particulars are being transmitted to the electoral commission.

Party sources said the ongoing submission followed the ratification of the results of the April primary elections and a review of nominations in line with recommendations of the Primary Election Appeal Committee as well as INEC’s guidelines.

For the House of Representatives, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, James Abiodun Faleke and Mudashiru Obasa are among prominent APC candidates whose nominations are also being processed.

INEC had opened its online nomination portal for political parties to submit the names and credentials of their presidential and National Assembly candidates from June 27, with the window scheduled to close on July 11.

The commission requires political parties to upload Form EC-9C, containing candidates’ personal particulars, alongside Forms EC9A to EC9E, which contain the lists of nominated candidates and other statutory documentation.

Meanwhile, the APC has made sweeping changes to its list of National Assembly candidates, replacing former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, former House of Representatives member Gbenga Elegbeleye and several others following the outcome of appeals arising from the party’s primary elections.

The changes were conveyed to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru.

According to the correspondence, the substitutions were approved by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) after considering the recommendations of the Primary Election Appeal Committee.

Beyond the Senate, the APC also replaced 19 House of Representatives candidates across several states, including Benue, Kogi, Ondo, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Abia and Ebonyi.

The party stated that the revised list represents its final decision on all constituencies affected by petitions and appeals filed after the primary elections.

Among the major senatorial changes, Emmanuel Memga Udende replaced Gabriel Suswam as the APC candidate for Benue North East, while Olajide Ipinsagba displaced Gbenga Elegbeleye in Ondo North.

Other substitutions include Sunday Karimi replacing Aro Samuel Bamidele in Kogi West; Prince Paul Ikonne taking over from Edinburgh Uchenna Erondu in Abia South; Titus Tartenger Zam replacing Benjamin T. Aber in Benue North West; Shuibu Isa Lau succeeding Mohammed Kabir Bello in Taraba North; and Adeniyi Adegbonmire replacing Taiwo Fasoranti in Ondo Central.

Benue recorded the highest number of changes in the House of Representatives category, with five constituencies receiving new candidates. Additional substitutions were made in Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Ondo, Kaduna, Abia and Ebonyi States.

The APC maintained that the replacements complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) and INEC’s regulations governing the nomination of candidates.This version is fully rewritten, adopts a professional newspaper style, removes repetition, and organizes the story into clear sections while preserving all the essential facts.