A fresh leadership crisis has erupted in the Edo State House of Assembly following the resignation of the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, and the subsequent emergence of Yekini Idiaye as his replacement.
Agbebaku resigned from office on Monday amid moves by some lawmakers to remove him over alleged poor leadership of the legislature.
His media aide, Ivy Ebojele, confirmed the development in a post on Facebook, simply announcing that the Speaker had resigned and promising further details on the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Shortly after the announcement, lawmakers elected the member representing Akoko-Edo Constituency I, Yekini Idiaye, as the new Speaker.
Idiaye, a third-term member of the Assembly, emerged through the zoning arrangement in the state which provides that the Speaker should come from Edo North when the governor is from Edo Central.
The new Speaker is reportedly the oldest member from Edo North in the current Assembly.
Speaking to journalists after Monday’s plenary, Idiaye said the lawmakers had been dissatisfied with Agbebaku’s leadership since the Assembly was inaugurated on June 16, 2023.
He accused the former Speaker of poor leadership and alleged that corruption and prolonged adjournments had affected the effectiveness of the legislature.
“The House was inaugurated on the 16th of June, 2023 under the leadership of Agbebaku, and since then we have been passing through a lot of challenges, corruption here and there, adjournment here and there, sometimes for 30 days without a cause.
“We are not happy with his leadership style. His leadership is poor and it has been drawing the work of the government backwards,” Idiaye said.
The new Speaker also claimed that Agbebaku was effectively removed by members of the Assembly.
“That is why we removed him. We must encourage our performing governor. He is doing well; anything that will derail or stop our performing governor, we must stop it. That is why we changed him,” he said.
Idiaye pledged that his leadership would work with Governor Monday Okpebholo, saying the Assembly would do everything possible to support the administration’s efforts to develop the state.
“I can assure all of you that we will do everything possible to support Governor Monday Okpebholo to move this state forward,” he added.
The emergence of Idiaye was said to have followed the Assembly’s zoning arrangement. Without the arrangement, the Deputy Speaker would ordinarily have been expected to take over following Agbebaku’s resignation.
The lawmakers were also said to have proceeded to the Government House to formally inform Governor Okpebholo of the change in the leadership of the Assembly.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain Agbebaku’s reaction to the development were unsuccessful. His telephone line was reportedly busy when contacted, while his media aide had yet to issue a detailed statement explaining the circumstances of his resignation.
The development has further heightened political tension within the Edo State legislature, with the new leadership expected to immediately assume control of the Assembly’s affairs.
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