The Deputy Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Yekini Idiaye, representing Akoko-Edo Constitutency 1 has been impeached on Wednesday.
His impeachment by lawmakers in the assembly comes days after he declared support to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the major rival to the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki in the Edo State governorship election.
Recall the Deputy Speaker and four other members of the Assembly recently pledged their support to Ize-Iyamu, bringing the numbers of elected members who have declared their support for the APC candidate in Edo Assembly to 17.
Those who joined Idiaye are Hon. Emmanuel Agbaje, Akoko-Edo Constituency II; Hon. Nosayaba Okunbor, Orhiomwon East Constituency; Hon. Dumez Ugiagbe, Member-elect, Ovia North East Constituency I; and Mr. Hon. Vincent Uwadiae, Member-elect, Ovia North East Constituency II.
They all pledged their support during a solidarity visit to the private residence of Pastor Ize-Iyamu in Benin where they declared their support on Monday.
Speaking during the visit, the state assembly members maintained that they will not leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) for another party, assuring Ize-Iyamu of their complete loyalty and commencement of mobilisation of voters at the grassroots to secure his victory at the polls.
In particular, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idiaye, said he had no reason to join the incumbent governor in his defection, or to back his re-election bid, because Governor Godwin Obaseki had failed to initiate any developmental project in his constituency despite his consistent intervention efforts.
He said: “There is no reason for me to defect to another party because there is no single project in my village to show under this present administration.”
“I am from Somorika, in Akoko Edo Local government area and my village is the most backward in Akoko Edo.”
Reacting to the development, Ize-Iyamu said by 17 of the 24 members of the Assembly dumping the governor, the partial assembly he forcefully put together, against the resolution of the National Assembly, has now fallen apart.
“Over a year, 14 members have not been allowed to occupy their seats and over half of the state have been deprived of fair representation.”
“The Deputy Speaker of the house has come to show courage and integrity that he can no longer support Gov. Obaseki. He made it clear that he was appointed under APC and will remain in APC. In a house of 24 members, 17 are no longer supporting Gov. Obaseki meaning the house has fallen apart”, Ize-Iyamu stated.
Ize-Iyamu assured the lawmakers of robust development to their constituencies when elected as Edo governor, stressing the plans contained in his SIMPLE agenda manifesto to harness the ecotourism potentials of Somorika.