NDC condemns declaration of Egbetanah’s seat vacant, urges INEC to ignore assembly’s decision

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the Delta State House of Assembly over its decision to declare the seat of Hon. Collins Egbetanah, representing Udu Constituency, vacant following his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the NDC.

In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, the party described the action as unconstitutional and alleged that it violated Egbetanah’s right to freedom of association.

The NDC also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to act on the Assembly’s decision, stating that it intends to challenge the matter through legal channels.

According to the party, Egbetanah was elected into the Delta State House of Assembly on the platform of the APC and initially served as a minority lawmaker before the political landscape changed following the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and several Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to the APC.

The party alleged that after those defections, Egbetanah became politically isolated and was denied salaries and other entitlements for several months.

It further stated that Egbetanah resigned from the APC and joined the NDC on April 30, 2026, after which the Assembly declared his seat vacant.

The NDC argued that the decision was unlawful and maintained that Egbetanah should be allowed to continue representing his constituency pending the resolution of the matter in court.

The party urged INEC not to recognise the declaration of vacancy and reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing legal remedies.

It also said it remained committed to ensuring that the people of Udu Constituency continued to enjoy effective representation.

The Delta State House of Assembly has not publicly responded to the NDC’s latest statement.