BENIN CITY, Nigeria — Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, has stepped down from his position following mounting pressure and an alleged impeachment plot by lawmakers.
The confirmation came from his media aide, Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, who announced the development in a social media update on Monday, noting that further details surrounding his resignation would be made public in due course.
Assembly Moves Quickly to Fill Leadership Vacuum
Following the resignation announcement, lawmakers convened at the legislative complex in Benin City to reorganize the Assembly’s leadership.
Reports from plenary proceedings indicate that the House moved immediately to elect new presiding officers to avoid a political stalemate. Lawmakers elected Hon. Yekini Idaiyi, representing Akoko-Edo II Constituency, as the new Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, who was subsequently sworn in to assume leadership.
Background to the Leadership Crisis
Agbebaku, who represents Owan West constituency, assumed the speakership of the 8th Assembly in June 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) banner. He later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside other lawmakers in early 2025 while retaining his position as head of the legislature.
Tensions within the Assembly had been building over recent weeks due to internal realignments and power struggles among lawmakers. Facing a swift mobilization by colleagues who had gathered sufficient signatures to move an impeachment motion during plenary, Agbebaku opted to submit his resignation letter.
The sudden change at the helm of the Edo State legislature marks another significant political shift in the state as various factions maneuver ahead of broader political cycles.
