Returnee Agbebaku Elected as Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly as PDP Dumps Zoning

 

Hendrix Oliomogbe

True to prediction, returnee member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Blessing Agbebaku (Owan West Constituency) has emerged Speaker as the People's Democratic Party (PDP) dumped zoning.

Mrs. Maria Edekor (Esan North-East Constituency II) was elected by members of the 24 member eight session of the House for the position of deputy speaker.

Ordinary the speakership position would have gone to Edo Central in line with the party's zoning arrangement as the governor is from Edo South while the deputy is from the North Senatorial district.

Both Agbebaku who had a stint as a state lawmaker between 2007 and 2011 and Mrs. Edeko, a former commissioner of Social Development and Gender Issues are both members of the dominant PDP.

The PDP won 14 seats in the rescheduled March 18 House of Assembly election, leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) with eight seats and Labour Party (LP) with one.

Sunny Ojiezele, from Edo Central would have been a shoo-in as a result of the party's zoning arrangement whereby the governor is from Edo South, the deputy from the North Senatorial district while the speaker is from Central.

A Government House source who would not want his name in print had however disclosed  that Mr. Ojiezele (Esan South East) was was dropped for being two faced due to the fact that his name appeared in both the governor's camp and that of loyalists of the PDP South South national zonal chairman, Chief Dan Orbih in the run up to the election.

Mr. Agbebaku from Edo North, on the other hand who is seen as fiercely loyal to the party and the governor was chosen as a successor to Mr. Marcus Onobun who won as a member of the House of Representatives.