The Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Mr Blessing Agbebaku, has revealed his reason for defecting from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He recently said that he switched parties to retain the benefits of the speakership seat for the development of his constituency.
Speaking while officially informing members of the House of his defection during plenary in Benin today, Blessing said that his defection had nothing to do with party allegiance, and he was mainly thinking about the growth and development of his area.
According to him, throwing away his position as speaker would have stunted the growth of his constituency, and that would have been the proof his people needed to conclude that he is not prepared to serve.
“Distinguished members, I want to formally let this House know that yesterday, the Speaker of this House, Blessing Agbebaku, defected to the APC.
For me this is not was about party allegiance but rather about the growth, progress and development of my area.
As a speaker, if I throw away this position because of the party; the position that would enhance development in my area, it means that I am not ready to serve my people,” he said.
Confirming that his constituents are fully in support of his decision, Blessing Agbebaku emphasised that the switch was not driven by personal gains, but by a determination to stay committed to the welfare of the people who elected him.
He concluded by saying politics will always be about interest, and while other politicians focus on personal interest, he intends to keep concentrating on the interests of his people.
“On that note, I took that decision, and I think to a large extent, my people are happy about it.
I spoke about some of the projects the governor has taken to my area yesterday, and the people of Owan West are very happy.
Politics is all about interest, but not my interest, but the interest of my people that gave me the mandate to be here today.
We are all working with the governor to take the state to the next level so that the people will enjoy the dividends of democracy; so the issue of party affiliations should not arise,” he added.
