Three Horse Race for Edo Assembly Speakership

Adibe Emenyonu writes that the battle for the Speakership of Edo state House of Assembly due for inauguration today is a race between three ranking members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Barring any unforseen circumstances, the next Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly may emerge from either North or Central Senatorial Districts.

The state governor, Godwin Obaseki is from Edo South; his deputy, Philip Shaibu is from Edo North; and the former Speaker, Marcus Onobun, who is now a member of the House of Representatives is from Edo Central, thus balancing the tripod.

Presently, there are three returning members of the 24-member assembly with two coming from Edo North and one coming from Edo Central.

The three ranking lawmakers are, Ephraim Aluebhosele (Esan South East state constituency), Yekini Idaiye (Akoko-Edo I state constituency), and Blessing Agbebaku (Owan West Constituency).

The tenure of the current 7th Assembly would end on June 16th and the governor is expected to transmit the letter proclamation on June 15th to pave way for the inauguration of the 8th Assembly.

Already some members-elect are said to have positioned themselves for the top job of Speaker of the House.

One takeaway from the entire exercise is that the emergence of a new Speaker will not be acrimonious like what happened in 2016 between Governor Obaseki and then Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole which degenerated to the extent that till date, 14 members remained uninaugurated, making them to have lost out completely in the power tussle.

Another factor is that while the outgoing assembly consists of 10 members, the incoming would be 24 members with the ruling party in the state (PDP) having 15 members, the opposition party, APC eight members; while LP has just one.

With this, there is no gainsaying the fact that the PDP would not have any opposition in the choice of the leadership of the House.

More so, to prevent a repetition of the 2020 episode, common sense may have reminded any of the opposition parties to pipe low and let sleeping dog lie.

Against this backdrop therefore, a speaker is likely to emerge from either Edo Central if the principle of equity and fair play is allowed to come in.

However, if it is on winners take all and on the basis of loyalty, the leader of the assembly will likely go to Edo North. And it that be the case, Blessing Agbebaku, who is coming to the House for the second time after a break, will clinch the position.

Blessing first served as a member of the Edo State House of Assembly between 2007 – 2011. His attempt to make it back was thwarted when Oshiomhole as governor, sponsored another person from then Action Congress (AC) to replace him.

Since then, Agbebaku has been in political limbo until fate smiled on him in the March, 2023 state assembly election which he contested and won on the platform of PDP.

As an unwavering party man, many believe that he should be compensated for remaining in the party no matter the condition he foun himself.

On the other hand, Yekini Idiaye from Akoko-Edo I, is another candidate under consideration for the position of speakership.

Idiaye was once in the house under APC but defected with the governor to PDP, when the former left APC to contest the governorship in 2020.

Nevertheless, a senior government official while responding to the matter,  said “politics is very dynamic; things can change in a minute.”

According to the official who did not want his name mentioned, “today, we have three returning members in the house, two from the north and one from central.

“The governor has not said who he would prefer, you know you don’t reveal such interests immediately so that it won’t be jeopardized, I believe the governor will make his preference known in due course.”