Edo North Conscience group demands Speaker Agbebaku’s impeachment after APC secures majority in the state House of Assembly

A group known as Edo North Conscience (ENC) has called for the impeachment of Hon. Blessing Agbebaku as Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly following the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s attainment of a majority status in the House.

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The call comes barely 24 hours after the state chapter of the APC informed Speaker Agbebaku and the Assembly that the party’s lawmakers now hold a majority.

The statement, which was signed by the group’s chairman, Mr. Oshioke Aledeh, and Secretary, Mr. Tunde Balogun, followed a stakeholders’ meeting and was released to newsmen in Benin City. The group cited the recent defection of four opposition members to the APC as the primary reason for their call to remove Agbebaku from office.

“With 13 members, APC now holds the majority in the House, while the PDP has 11 members. This gives APC an advantage in deciding the principal officers of the House,” the statement read.

“Last week, three PDP lawmakers and one Labour Party lawmaker defected to APC, thereby giving the party an edge. It is only right that the APC takes the position of Speaker and other principal offices in the House. We believe the process of removing Hon. Agbebaku should begin to pave the way for an APC Speaker.”

The group argued that Agbebaku’s continued leadership, despite being from the minority party, is not in the best interest of the state or the House. They further claimed that his loyalty still lies with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), despite his public alignment with Governor Monday Okpebholo.

“Despite pretending to be at home with Governor Monday Okpebholo, his loyalty is still with the PDP,” the statement added.

This call comes after the APC state leadership, on Tuesday, 18 March 2025, officially notified Agbebaku that the party had secured the majority in the Assembly.

Agbebaku confirmed the news during a session, acknowledging that the defection of four opposition lawmakers had resulted in APC’s majority status.

With the APC now holding the majority, the battle for key leadership positions in the Edo State House of Assembly is expected to intensify, as the political dynamics shift in favour of the ruling party. The group has vowed to pursue impeachment proceedings if the Speaker does not voluntarily step down.