Edo Assembly Crisis Deepens As Agbebaku’s ‘ Resignation’ Turns Into Impeachment

by Idahosa Musa

The crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly took a dramatic turn on Monday as lawmakers formally impeached the suspended Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, eight days after his resignation from office.

The latest development has further deepened the crisis in the Assembly, with the lawmakers insisting that Agbebaku did not resign as Speaker but was removed from office through an impeachment process.

Agbebaku, who represents Owan West Constituency, had on August 17, 2026, announced his resignation as Speaker amid the crisis that had engulfed the legislature.

Following his resignation, the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo 1 Constituency, Yekini Idaiye, was elected by the lawmakers as the new Speaker, apparently bringing to an end the leadership crisis in the House.

But what appeared to be a settled matter was reopened on Monday when the Assembly formally converted the former Speaker’s resignation to impeachment, creating a fresh twist in the unfolding political drama.

The new Speaker, Idaiye, told the House that the impeachment notice had been signed by 17 members, indicating that a clear majority of lawmakers had backed the decision to remove Agbebaku.

He explained that the notice was formally presented by the Majority Leader during plenary, stressing that the House had resolved to treat the matter as impeachment rather than resignation because Agbebaku’s purported resignation had not been officially presented and documented.

Idaiye declared emphatically that Agbebaku “was impeached and did not resign” from the office, effectively rewriting the political narrative surrounding the former Speaker’s controversial exit.

The motion for his formal impeachment was moved by the Majority Leader, Sunny Ojiezele, and seconded by the member representing Etsako Central Constituency, Ahmed Waziri.

The development has now left the former Speaker facing a new battle over the circumstances of his removal, as the Assembly’s latest position appears to contradict the earlier narrative that he voluntarily relinquished the position.

In a further escalation, Speaker Idaiye directed Agbebaku to return all government property in his possession, warning that security agencies could be invited to enforce the directive should he fail to comply or respond to the House.

The unfolding events have therefore transformed what began as a leadership change into a full-blown institutional confrontation, with the Assembly now formally recording Agbebaku’s exit as an impeachment rather than a resignation.

The latest move is expected to generate further political and legal questions over the circumstances surrounding the former Speaker’s removal, particularly the status of the resignation announced on August 17 and the subsequent election of Idaiye as Speaker.

The development also comes against the backdrop of the widening political tension in Edo, raising fresh questions about the forces driving the leadership realignment in the Assembly and what the latest action could mean for the stability of the legislature ahead of the 2027 political season.

For now, however, the Edo Assembly has made its position clear: Agbebaku’s tenure as Speaker did not end by resignation but by impeachment.