Edo: Owan West stakeholders condemn alleged conversion of Agbebaku’s resignation to impeachment

Owan West stakeholders and concerned citizens of Edo State have strongly condemned the purported conversion of the resignation of the former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, to impeachment, describing the action as a brazen abuse of legislative power and a dangerous assault on constitutional democracy.

The stakeholders, in a strongly worded legal protest issued by Barrister Gordie Aigbodion on their behalf, said the development was not only procedurally defective but also raised serious questions about the integrity of the Edo State legislature and its commitment to the rule of law.

Aigbodion said the stakeholders were particularly disturbed that Agbebaku’s voluntary resignation from the speakership, which reportedly preceded the subsequent action of the House, could later be recast as an impeachment, viewing the development as an attempt to rewrite the circumstances of his departure for political purposes.

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They argued that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides separate and unmistakable procedures for resignation and impeachment, stressing that a voluntary relinquishment of office could not be retrospectively transformed into involuntary removal simply because political circumstances had changed.

The Owan West stakeholders consequently challenged the Edo Assembly to explain the constitutional foundation of its action, asking pointedly what office the former Speaker was allegedly impeached from if his resignation had already taken legal effect.

The group said the controversy could not be dismissed as another internal political disagreement within the Assembly, insisting that it had become a direct test of whether elected lawmakers in Edo State would submit themselves to constitutional restraints or deploy legislative power as an instrument of political retribution.

According to them, the development was particularly offensive to Owan West because Agbebaku’s political mandate was tied to the people of the constituency, warning that any attempt to attach the stigma of impeachment to his departure could amount to an assault on the dignity and political standing of the people he represented.

He recalled that Owan stakeholders had earlier raised strong objections to the circumstances surrounding Agbebaku’s exit from the speakership, averring the latest action as another disturbing chapter in what they perceived as a sustained attempt to undermine the political interests of Owan West.

The stakeholders warned that the precedent being created was dangerous, arguing that if a valid resignation could subsequently be labelled impeachment, then no elected public officer could be certain that his or her voluntary exit from office would not later be politically weaponised.

They therefore demanded that the Assembly immediately publish Agbebaku’s resignation letter, disclose the date and time it was received, make public the proceedings surrounding his resignation and state clearly the constitutional provision relied upon in subsequently declaring him impeached.

The group also demanded an immediate review and correction of the Hansard and every other official legislative record relating to the matter, insisting that the records of the House must preserve the truth and chronology of events rather than serve as instruments for political revisionism.

The people warned that Owan West would resist any attempt to manipulate constitutional processes to humiliate its representative or diminish the voice of its people, declaring that the constituency was neither politically disposable nor voiceless and would continue to demand justice, transparency and respect for the Constitution.

The stakeholders consequently called on the Edo Assembly to retrace its steps and submit the controversial action to proper constitutional scrutiny, stressing that no political calculation, legislative majority or individual interest could be placed above the Constitution, the rule of law and the democratic rights of the people of Owan West.