Edo Assembly Elects Atu New Deputy Speaker As Edeko Resigns

By Ayodele Oni

The defection of Lawmakers in Edo State House of Assembly which has given the All Progressives Congress, (APC), majority in the House has led to the resignation of the Deputy Speaker, Maria Edeko.

Rather than joining her colleagues to defect, and dump the party that gave her the platform on which she contested and won election, Edeko, on Monday toed the path of honour and integrity, and voluntarily resigned her position.

Edeko, who represents Esan North-East II, in the Assembly, was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

She resigned her position due to the current minority status of the PDP, in the Assembly, after some of the lawmakers dumped the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In her resignation speech, Edeko, who was elected Deputy Speaker of the 8th Assembly on June 16, 2023, said she resigned her position to allow for justice, fairness, and equity for all the constituencies.

She thanked the leaders and members of the PDP for finding her worthy to represent her constituency in the assembly.

Following the announcement of her resignation, other lawmakers in the House took turns to shower accolades on Edeko.

They praised her unwavering dedication, passion for public service, and the high level of integrity she consistently demonstrated throughout her tenure.

They described her as a committed leader whose contributions left a lasting impact on the legislative process during her tenure as Deputy Speaker.

The Majority Leader, Jonathan Aigbokhan (APC-Esan West), moved a motion that all the entitlements due to the office of the Deputy Speaker be accorded the well-respected woman of integrity, a thing that has never happened before.

The motion which was seconded by the Minority Leader, Charity Airobarueghian (PDP, Ovia North East 1), was supported by other lawmakers, and was finally adopted.

Following her exit, the APC lawmaker representing Orhionmwon East, Osamwonyi Atu, was unanimously voted as the new Deputy Speaker.