Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, has resigned from his position amid moves by some lawmakers to impeach him.
Agbebaku stepped down on Monday, bringing an abrupt end to his tenure as speaker and triggering a fresh leadership contest within the Assembly.
His resignation was confirmed by his media aide, Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, in a post on Facebook.
“EDO ASSEMBLY SPEAKER RT HON CHIEF BLESSING AGBEBAKU RESIGNS,” she wrote.
Adodo-Ebojele said details surrounding the circumstances of the resignation would be made public later.
The development comes against the backdrop of reported efforts by some members of the House to remove Agbebaku from office.
The resignation has plunged the Assembly into a fresh leadership crisis, with lawmakers expected to commence the process of selecting a new Speaker.
Following his removal, the lawmakers reportedly elected the former Deputy Speaker, Osawmonyi Atu, representing Orhionmwon I Constituency, as the new Speaker of the House.
Atu’s emergence marks a change in the leadership of the Assembly, although details surrounding the circumstances that led to Agbebaku’s exit remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Agbebaku became Speaker in 2023 during the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki after emerging on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In January 2025, Agbebaku and other members of the Assembly defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while he retained his position as Speaker.
Further details were still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.
