Yekini Idiaye emerges as new Speaker as lawmakers move to reset the leadership of the 24-member House
By Unity Times Political Desk
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BENIN CITY — The political balance in Edo State shifted dramatically on Monday as the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, resigned from office amid mounting moves by lawmakers to remove him.
The development immediately triggered a leadership transition, with Yekini Idiaye, representing Akoko-Edo Constituency I, emerging as the new Speaker of the 24-member Assembly.
Agbebaku’s resignation was confirmed by his media aide, Ivy Ebojele, although she indicated that further details surrounding his decision would be made public later. Multiple Nigerian news organisations independently reported that the resignation came as lawmakers were gathering support for an impeachment proceeding.
The Guardian reported that 18 of the 24 lawmakers had reportedly signed an impeachment notice by Sunday night, exceeding the two-thirds threshold required to remove a Speaker.
That development appears to have made Agbebaku’s position increasingly untenable. Rather than wait for a formal impeachment vote, he stepped aside.
From Speaker to political casualty
Agbebaku’s exit marks a dramatic reversal for a politician who had occupied one of the most powerful positions in Edo’s political structure. He became Speaker of the eighth Edo State House of Assembly in June 2023 and later defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in 2025.
His resignation therefore represents more than an individual leadership change. It potentially signals a realignment inside the Edo legislature.
The immediate question is why a Speaker who had previously commanded enough support to emerge unopposed would suddenly face an overwhelming impeachment threat.
The newly emerged Speaker, Yekini Idiaye, has offered one explanation.
According to reports, Idiaye said the lawmakers’ decision was linked to concerns over poor leadership and alleged corruption, while also arguing that the new leadership should align more closely with Governor Monday Okpebholo’s developmental agenda.
Those are serious allegations. However, it is important to distinguish between political allegations and established findings. No conviction or judicial determination has been cited establishing corruption by Agbebaku.
For Unity Times, that distinction matters.
Why Idiaye’s emergence matters
The arrival of Yekini Idiaye at the helm of the Assembly could have significant consequences for the relationship between the legislature and the executive.
Edo’s 24-member House is currently dominated by the APC, following a series of defections that dramatically altered its political composition. Idiaye himself is a third-term legislator and represents Akoko-Edo Constituency I. Multiple reports have now confirmed his emergence as Speaker. His elevation is therefore likely to be closely watched for signs of a new political direction.
The most revealing statement so far is his suggestion that the change was necessary to bring the legislature into closer alignment with Governor Okpebholo’s development agenda. That could mean a period of greater cooperation between the executive and legislative arms.
But it also raises an important democratic question: Should a state legislature be aligned with the governor—or should it be sufficiently independent to scrutinise the executive?
That question will become particularly important as the new leadership settles in.
The politics behind the numbers
The reported impeachment effort is particularly significant because the Edo Assembly has only 24 members.
The Guardian reported that 18 lawmakers had signed the impeachment notice, while the constitutional threshold for removing the Speaker is two-thirds of the House—16 members. If accurate, the numbers demonstrate that Agbebaku had lost substantial support within the chamber.
In parliamentary politics, once a Speaker loses the confidence of the majority, survival becomes extremely difficult. The resignation therefore appears less like a sudden political accident and more like the culmination of an internal power struggle.
A new chapter for Governor Okpebholo
For Governor Monday Okpebholo, the leadership change could be politically significant. A governor needs legislative cooperation to pass budgets, approve appointments, enact policies and pursue his development agenda. A hostile or unpredictable Assembly can significantly slow down governance. A more cooperative legislature, by contrast, can make it easier for an administration to implement its programme.
Idiaye’s comments about aligning the House with the governor’s development agenda therefore provide an early indication of what may lie ahead. But the governor will also have to avoid the perception that the Assembly has become merely an extension of the executive.
For Edo’s democracy, the ideal relationship is not necessarily confrontation. It is cooperation with accountability.
What happens to Agbebaku now?
The immediate political future of the former Speaker remains uncertain. His resignation removes him from the leadership of the House but does not automatically erase the political questions surrounding his tenure.
If the allegations cited by lawmakers are pursued formally, they could generate further political and possibly legal developments. Agbebaku’s supporters, meanwhile, may seek to challenge the circumstances surrounding his removal or defend his record in office.
For now, however, the political reality is clear: he is no longer Speaker.
Edo’s wider political significance
The Edo Assembly crisis is unfolding at a time when Nigerian state politics are already beginning to move towards the 2027 political cycle.
Changes in legislative leadership can affect:
- control of the state budget;
- oversight of government spending;
- confirmation of executive appointments;
- constituency projects;
- electoral alliances;
- party control;
- and the balance of power between the governor and lawmakers.
Consequently, the development deserves attention beyond Benin City. It is another reminder that Nigeria’s 2027 political realignments are not taking place only at the presidential level.
They are already being fought inside state assemblies.
THE UNITY TIMES VIEW
The resignation of Blessing Agbebaku should not simply be reduced to another Nigerian political “impeachment story.”
It raises deeper questions about how state legislatures function. If the lawmakers genuinely believed that Agbebaku’s leadership had failed, then the proper response is transparent accountability.
If, however, the impeachment threat was primarily driven by political calculations, then Edo’s legislature must confront the danger of turning leadership positions into instruments of factional warfare.
The emergence of Yekini Idiaye provides an opportunity for a fresh beginning. But the new Speaker will be judged not by how he came to power, but by what he does with it.
For Governor Okpebholo, the challenge is equally clear. A friendly legislature can be politically convenient. An independent but constructive legislature is better for democracy. And for the people of Edo, that distinction matters far more than who occupies the Speaker’s chair.
Bottom line
Agbebaku has gone. Idiaye has arrived. But the real story is whether Edo’s Assembly has merely changed its Speaker—or whether it has entered a new era of political alignment.
Unity Times will continue to follow the new leadership, the allegations surrounding Agbebaku’s removal, and the implications for Governor Okpebholo’s administration.
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