The lawmarker representing Akoko-Edo II Constituency, Hon. Yekini Idiaye, has emerged as the new Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly following the resignation of Blessing Agbebaku from the position.
Idaiyi was elected Speaker during Monday’s plenary session after Agbebaku’s resignation letter was formally presented to the House.
The sitting, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Osamwonye Atu, witnessed a change in the leadership of the legislature amid reports of internal moves against Agbebaku.
At the commencement of proceedings, Atu announced the receipt of Agbebaku’s resignation letter, paving the way for the election of a new Speaker.
The member representing Esan South East Constituency, Sunday Ojiezele, nominated Idaiyi for the position, while the nomination was seconded by the member representing Owan East Constituency, Eric Okaka.
Politics Nigeria reports that the Clerk of the House subsequently administered the oath of office on Idaiyi, who immediately assumed the leadership of the Assembly.
The circumstances surrounding Agbebaku’s resignation were not immediately clear. There were also reports that the former Speaker had been suspended by the lawmakers, although details of the alleged suspension remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Agbebaku became Speaker of the 8th Edo State House of Assembly in June 2023 and remained in the position until his reported resignation on Monday.
The leadership shake-up also extended to the Assembly’s majority and minority caucuses.
The lawmakers considered a letter from the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking changes in the leadership of the majority caucus.
According to the letter Ojiezele was nominated as Majority Leader and Ojie Inegbebor, representing Igueben Constituency, as Deputy Majority Leader.
The Assembly also approved a letter from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) nominating Natasha Osawaru as the new Minority Leader.
This latest development comes against the backdrop of significant political realignments within the Edo Assembly.
In May 2025, Agbebaku, Idaiyi and several other lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC. Their defection was part of a broader political realignment that also saw former PDP State Secretary Gabriel Oloruntoba, 17 local government chairmen and several councillors join the ruling party.
At a rally in Benin City, APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, who received the defectors on behalf of the party’s national leadership, described the development as a major step towards consolidating the APC’s position in Edo State.
Governor Monday Okpebholo also welcomed the defectors, saying their return to the APC would strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, had similarly described Agbebaku’s defection to the APC as a “homecoming”, noting that the party controlled 18 of the 24 seats in the Assembly following the realignment.
He expressed optimism that the governor’s achievements would earn him a second term in 2028, just as Edo State would deliver for President Tinubu in 2027.
Agbebaku, in his remarks then, praised the governor’s developmental focus, citing the construction of Uhonmora Secondary School and three major roads in Owan West LGA as signs of inclusive governance.
“We are here to support the governor and the president to move Edo forward,” he declared.
