Natasha Osawaru, wife of Nigerian music star Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, has emerged as the Minority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly.
Osawaru, who represents Egor Constituency in the Assembly, was announced as the new minority leader during plenary on Monday.
Her emergence follows changes in the political structure of the Edo Assembly after the movement of lawmakers into the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
The development places Osawaru at the head of the opposition bloc in the 24-member legislature and gives her a major role in representing the minority side.
The lawmaker joined the NDC after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in May 2026.
She was among the Edo lawmakers who moved into the NDC as the party strengthened its presence in the state legislature.
The movement also involved Charity Aiguobarhueghian, representing Ovia North-East I Constituency, and Omosigho Uyi Frank, representing Oredo East Constituency.
The NDC subsequently sought recognition for its new lawmakers and nominated Osawaru as Minority Leader, while Omosigho Frank was nominated as Minority Whip.
Reacting to her emergence, the lawmaker described the position as a responsibility rather than a personal achievement.
“This new responsibility is not a title; it is a trust. Our democracy thrives on rigorous debate, accountability, and the courage to advocate for the ordinary citizen without compromise.”
Her new position also marks a return to one of the principal leadership positions in the Assembly.
Osawaru had previously held a leadership position in the House before changes in the political balance of the legislature affected the principal officers.
In April 2025, she was removed from her previous position after a number of PDP lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, altering the balance of power in the Assembly.
At the time, the Assembly announced changes to its principal officers following a communication from the APC leadership in Edo State.
The NDC became the main opposition party in the Edo Assembly after three lawmakers left the APC and PDP for the party.
The party formally notified the Assembly of the defections in a letter addressed to the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku.
The letter requested that the lawmakers be recognised under the NDC and also nominated Osawaru as Minority Leader.
However, the request did not immediately take effect.
During the June 22, 2026 sitting, lawmakers raised concerns over the procedure adopted by the NDC in communicating the changes.
The Majority Leader, Jonathan Ibhamawu, argued that the affected lawmakers were expected to formally announce their defections on the floor of the House before the new party could communicate the changes.
Speaker Agbebaku consequently stepped down the request pending compliance with the required procedure.
The issue was subsequently linked to the broader changes in the political composition of the Assembly.
Natasha has remained one of the most prominent lawmakers in the Edo Assembly, with her public profile also receiving attention because of her relationship with 2Baba.
Her political activities, however, have continued independently of her relationship with the singer.
The lawmaker resumed legislative duties in March 2026 after maternity leave. She informed the Speaker during plenary that she had returned to the Assembly.
In a related development, Politics Nigeria reported yesterday that the Edo Assembly Speaker Blessing Agbebaku resigned from his position as the head of the legislative arm of Government in the state.
The State Assembly has experienced several leadership changes in recent years, including the resignation of a deputy speaker and previous changes involving the Speaker’s office.
On May 19, 2025, Maria Oligbi-Edeko resigned as Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly.
Oligbi-Edeko, who represented Esan North-East II Constituency, had served as Deputy Speaker since the inauguration of the eighth Assembly in June 2023.
She said her decision was taken because of the changing political status of her party in the Assembly.
In her resignation speech, Oligbi-Edeko said the decision was taken “in the interest of justice, fairness and equity across all constituencies”.
The Assembly subsequently elected Osamwonyi Atu as the new Deputy Speaker.
A few weeks earlier, on May 6, 2025, Speaker Blessing Agbebaku had defected from the PDP to the APC.
Agbebaku later explained his decision while formally informing lawmakers of his movement.
He said he defected because he wanted to retain the speakership and use the position to attract development to his constituency.
“I defected to the APC to retain the benefit of the speaker seat for the development of my constituency,” Agbebaku said.
The Speaker maintained that his decision was not about personal interest.
