Yekini Idiaye, the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo Constituency I, has been elected as the new Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly following the resignation of Blessing Agbebaku.
Idiaye, who is serving his third term in the Assembly, assumed the position on Monday after Agbebaku stepped down from office amid reports of an impending impeachment move by lawmakers.
His emergence followed an existing zoning understanding within the Assembly, which stipulates that the Speaker should come from Edo North Senatorial District whenever the governor is from Edo Central Senatorial District.
As the most senior lawmaker from Edo North, Idiaye was subsequently chosen to lead the legislative arm of government in the state.
Speaking after his emergence, the new Speaker explained that in the absence of the zoning arrangement, the Deputy Speaker would ordinarily have succeeded Agbebaku.
Earlier on Monday, Blessing Agbebaku resigned as Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, bringing an end to his tenure as head of the legislature amid growing political developments within the chamber.
His resignation came as reports indicated that some members of the Assembly were mobilising support to remove him through impeachment proceedings.
Confirming the development, his media aide, Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, disclosed the resignation in a Facebook post and noted that further details surrounding the decision would be made public later.
