Edo North APC moves to remove Agbebaku as Speaker

The political climate in Edo State is becoming increasingly uncertain as there are political undercurrents aimed at ousting the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, on the grounds of his political lineage to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The moves to remove Agbebaku, Nigerian Tribune gathered, are being championed by a group under the aegis of Edo North Conscience (ENC), which is sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Since the swearing-in of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the APC in November 2024, there have been agitations by APC leaders in the Edo North Senatorial District, the senatorial base of the Speaker, to have Agbebaku removed and replaced by an APC legislator from the zone.

The plot, which had largely been discussed in undertones, recently came to the fore as the ENC, for the first time, boldly canvassed for the removal of the Speaker, hinging its argument on what it termed the “political and moral burden” Agbebaku’s speakership imposes on the APC and its members in Edo North, who claimed to have gone through “endless turmoils and pains” to install Okpebholo as their candidate for governor.

At a recent high-stakes stakeholder meeting in the ancient city of Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, ENC members from across the Edo North Senatorial District rallied together in opposition to Agbebaku’s continued retention as Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly.

A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, and endorsed by the group’s leader, Mr Oshioke Aledeh, and Secretary, Mr Tunde Balogun, described the Speaker as a “political brute” who orchestrated the brutal campaign that left APC members reeling in pain and discomfort during the tumultuous state assembly elections that paved the way for his ascension to power.

The group also recounted the harrowing experiences allegedly suffered by some prominent APC leaders and members during the 2023 election, in addition to the war-mongering songs from the PDP across the entire Edo State prior to the September 2024 elections, with erstwhile Governor Godwin Obaseki threatening to burn down the entire country if attempts were made to arrest notable and arrant political thugs traceable to the PDP.

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They therefore queried why Agbebaku should thrive where he had sown only discord, pointing out that the Speaker, even while pretending to be at home with the incumbent Governor Okpebholo, is still fiercely loyal to the PDP.

Agbebaku ascended to the Speaker’s chair backed by the then-dominant PDP, but the opposition party’s influence in the 24-member House of Assembly has dwindled following the recent wave of defections that hit the PDP in the state.

As of today, the APC commands a significant majority in the Assembly, with 13 members to the PDP’s 11, thus fuelling the clamour for the removal of Agbebaku, who is from the minority party.

This is why the ENC has stepped up its campaign in recent times for the Speaker’s removal, insisting that his continued stay in the position is “untenable and inexplicable”.

Additionally, the ENC has declared that its clamour for the removal of the incumbent Speaker is not just about party politics but a rallying cry that will reverberate through APC circles not only in Edo State but across the country by bringing this obvious abnormality to the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The group has also vowed to reach out to influential APC stakeholders, including Governor Okpebholo, insisting that it is time for the APC to take its rightful place by having one of its own as the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly.

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