Members of the Edo State House of Assembly have impeached the immediate past Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, after rejecting his resignation from office.
Agbebaku had resigned as Speaker on August 17 amid alleged moves by lawmakers to remove him from office.
Following his resignation, Yekini Idiayi, representing Akoko Edo II Constituency, was sworn in as the new Speaker of the Assembly.
However, during the Assembly’s resumed sitting on Monday, Idiayi announced that 17 of the 24 lawmakers had rejected Agbebaku’s resignation and signed an impeachment notice against him.
The new Speaker said the impeachment notice was presented by the House Majority Leader, Sunny Ojiezele, during the previous Monday’s plenary.
Following the announcement, Ojiezele reportedly moved a motion for Agbebaku’s impeachment. The motion was seconded by Ahmed Waziri, another member of the Assembly.
Idiayi subsequently declared that Agbebaku was deemed to have been impeached rather than to have resigned from office.
He also directed the former Speaker to return all government property in his possession, warning that security agencies would be engaged if he failed to comply with the directive.
Agbebaku, who represents Owan West Constituency, was elected Speaker of the eighth Edo State House of Assembly in June 2023.
His leadership of the Assembly had been marked by internal disagreements and political tensions.
The crisis became particularly pronounced in May 2024 when Agbebaku suspended three lawmakers over an alleged plot to impeach him and other principal officers of the House.
At the time, Agbebaku reportedly linked the alleged plot to external influence and claimed that charms and ritual items were being brought into the Assembly complex.
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The suspended lawmakers denied the allegations, describing their suspension as politically motivated.
The affected lawmakers were reportedly allies of Philip Shaibu, the former Deputy Governor of Edo State and an associate of former governor and current Senator, Adams Oshiomhole.
Oshiomhole is also regarded as a political godfather of Monday Okpebholo, the incumbent governor of Edo State.
Agbebaku later defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in May 2025.
His defection did not completely end the political controversy surrounding his leadership of the Assembly, as some APC figures subsequently called for his removal.
They reportedly cited his previous affiliation with the PDP, his campaign activities and his alleged preference for an “original” APC member from his political zone to lead the Assembly.
Governor Okpebholo, however, was said to have backed Agbebaku’s continued leadership, citing his loyalty and role in advancing the administration’s agenda.
The latest development marks a significant shift in the leadership of the Edo State House of Assembly and comes amid renewed political tensions within the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
With Idiayi now presiding over the Assembly, attention is expected to turn to the implications of Agbebaku’s removal and the extent to which the change will affect the relationship between the legislature and the state executive.