Fred Agbedi

Agbedi was born in Aghoro, a coastal community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa. He attended State School, Aghoro, and Oproza Grammar School, Patani for his primary and secondary school education. He earned Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), majoring in English and History from College of Education, Warri, Delta State. He holds Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) ^[2] in English from University of Port Harcourt and masters (M. Sc) in Public Administration from University of Abuja.

Agbedi, a professional teacher excelled in his career and rose to higher ranks of Confidential Secretary to the Secretary, Local Teaching Service Committee, Pay Officer. Agbedi was a member, Adhoc Committee on Verification of Primary/Post Primary School Teachers, and was Confidential Secretary to the Military Panel on Screening and Verification of staff of Burutu LGA, Delta State. He left public service for private business in the mid-80s.

Agbedi became an active politician after joining National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1992, and soon became Secretary of the party in his local council of Ekeremor. NRC was proscribed after the military take-over of government in 1993.

In 1998, Agbedi joined the newly registered United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) in preparation for the return to democratic rule in 1999. He was a member of UNCP screening committee for the Bayelsa state assembly. He ran for UNCP nomination to run for the Bayelsa-West Senatorial District but lose at his party's primary emerging first runner-up in 1998.

He later joined the People's Democratic Party (PDP), serving in different capacities including Special Assistant to the Chairman, PDP Computerized Membership Registration Committee in Bayelsa State in 2001. He was secretary of the PDP National Committee on Supervising, Monitoring and Conduct of Congresses/Convention of 2001 in Abia State. In 2002, Agbedi contested in the PDP primary election for a ticket to run for Bayelsa West Senatorial District but lose. In 2007, Governor Goodluck Jonathan who was the vice president elect at the time appointed Agbedi to the Transition Committee on Handover of Power in Government of Bayelsa State to governor Timipre Sylva.

In 2005, Agbedi was elected Chairman of Bayelsa State PDP^[3][4] during the administration of Governor Goodluck Jonathan. Agbedi led PDP governorship campaign that brought Timipre Sylva to power as governor of Bayelsa State in 2007 following the nomination of Governor Jonathan for vice president which he later won. But Agbedi fell out with Governor Sylva and opted to resign his PDP chairmanship position after criticising Sylva that his government was failing.^[5] PDP leaders in the state including then vice president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan prevailed on Agbedi to remain in his position. In 2008, Governor Sylva instigated crisis in the party that led to the removal of Agbedi from office as Bayelsa State PDP Chairman in February that year.

Agbedi was Director General of Siriake Dickson governorship campaign for his first and second term campaigns in 2012 and 2015.^[6][7] Agbedi led Dickson and PDP to victory in both elections.^[8][9] In the 2012 governorship election, Dickson won with 417,500 or 88.7 per cent of the total votes cast in the election. Imoro Kubor of the Change Advocacy Party, CAP came second in that election with 22,534 votes.^[10]

Agbedi was a Senior Legislative Aide to the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2012, Governor Siriake Dickson appointed Agbedi a senior special adviser on political matters.^[11][12] He resigned from this position in 2014 to run for Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State.^[13]