By National Record
THE SPEAKER of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, on Sunday resigned from office under what many observers described as intense political pressure.
In a handwritten letter dated August 24, 2025, entitled: “Resignation as the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly”, Dajoh announced: “I write to resign my position as the speaker Benue State House of Assembly effective today, 24th August, 2025.
“This is done in good faith and in the best interest of the state. I want to appreciate my dear colleagues for the opportunity they gave me to be the first among equals. I pledge to remain committed to my duties as a legislator and representative of Gboko West State Constituency.”
Barely three days after his suspension alongside three other lawmakers, Hon. Alfred Berger, who represents Makurdi North Constituency, and serves as Deputy Majority Whip, was elected and sworn in as the new Speaker, following Dajoh’s resignation.
His suspension was lifted during the emergency session on Sunday, presided over by Deputy Speaker Hon. Lamin Danladi of Ado Constituency, paving the way for his immediate emergence.
Speaking to journalists shortly after his inauguration, Berger pledged to ensure smooth relations with the executive.
“Like I said before in my acceptance speech, I will make sure there is that cordial relationship between the legislature, the executive and the legislature,” he stated.
When asked whether he would sack principal officers appointed last Friday after the suspension of the four members, Berger said the matter would be decided when the Assembly reconvenes on Tuesday, August 26.
Hours before Dajoh’s resignation was made public on his Facebook wall, he had announced an emergency sitting of the Assembly scheduled for Monday. However, events took a dramatic turn after social media commentator, Asom D Jerry alleged that Governor Hyacinth Alia had enlisted traditional rulers to influence the Speaker’s removal.
In a widely circulated post, Asom wrote: “TOR TIV AND OCHI IDOMA [sic] STEPS [sic] IN TO HELP GOV. ALIA.
“Makurdi is witnessing heightened political tension as Governor Hyacinth Alia is pushing further to unseat the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh.
“According to insider sources, the Governor met late last night at the Government House with a section of lawmakers and directed the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Lami Danladi Ogenyi to convene a sitting on Monday (tomorrow) with the sole agenda of impeaching the Speaker.
“In an unusual development, Governor Alia has also enlisted the intervention of traditional rulers to influence the process. The paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, the Tor Tiv, and the leader of the Idoma people, the Ochi Idoma [sic], are both in Makurdi to persuade legislators from their respective constituencies to support the impeachment move. The two paramount rulers have been moved to Makurdi to execute the job for his excellency.
“The Tor Tiv will be having a meeting with Assembly Members from Tiv land later in the day at his Judges’ Quarters Residence, Makurdi.
“As events continue to unfold, all eyes remain on the Benue State House of Assembly to see whether the Governor’s push will succeed or spark a fresh round of political crisis in the state.”
Political analysts and insiders argue that the Speaker’s resignation was far from voluntary.
According to them, Dajoh had clashed with both Governor Alia and the Tor Tiv. His insistence that the governor suspend SUBEB chairperson, Dr. Grace Adagba, was described as the “last straw.”
The Assembly’s rejection of Dr. Yangien Ornguga, an associate professor of Law at the Benue State University (now Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University (MOAUM)) and nominee for commissioner, who is also the Tor Tiv’s younger brother, was said to have further angered the paramount ruler.
Dr Ornguga was said to have been nominated by the paramount ruler to be commissioner, particularly Commissioner for Justice and Public Order while the assembly had turned Ornguga’s nomination down over alleged “high-handedness and sadism” against his students at the Benue State University, Makurdi now Rev. Fr Moses Orshio Adasu University (MOAUM).
Other accounts trace the tension to shifting political loyalties. Though Dajoh was initially Alia’s preferred candidate when the Assembly was divided between him and Hon. Mrs. Becky Orpin of Gboko East, he was said to have later aligned with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, allegedly to plot Alia’s impeachment.
An insider put it bluntly thus: “Dajoh was a phone tracker and Alia picked him. He went for holiday and met with Akume people, plotted to come and impeach Alia. If you are the one, will you still allow him to be Speaker? As I talk to you, Tor Tiv and Och’Idoma are in Makurdi for the purpose. Did you hear any opposing voice?”
The circumstances of Dajoh’s resignation and Berger’s swift installation raise concerns about the independence of the legislature in Benue State. Critics argue that the executive has demonstrated its capacity to “do and undo” within the Assembly.
The timing of events, from the lifting of the suspensions to the election of a new Speaker on the very day Dajoh resigned, suggests that previously suspended appointees of the governor may soon be reinstated, while commissioner nominees earlier rejected by the Assembly could now be confirmed.
Observers warn that the development marks a serious erosion of legislative autonomy in Benue State.
