On Tuesday, the Benue State House of Assembly decided to suspend its former Speaker, Aondona Dajoh, for a period of three months. This action was taken because he was accused of trying to plan the removal of Governor Hyacinth Alia from office.
The issue was brought up by Hon. Terna Emmanuel, who represents Vandeikya II Constituency. He told the House that Mr. Dajoh had invited some lawmakers to his house last Thursday. During that meeting, they allegedly discussed and planned how to impeach the governor. Emmanuel suggested that the punishment should be a six-month suspension so that the former Speaker would have enough time to reflect on his actions. His motion was supported by Hon. Abu Umoru from Apa Constituency, who reminded the House that other members had faced suspension in the past for similar misconduct.
After listening to the arguments, the current Speaker, Alfred Embe, ruled on the matter. He strongly condemned the alleged actions of the former Speaker and then announced that Dajoh would be suspended, but only for three months instead of six.
During the same sitting, the lawmakers also discussed the case of two commissioner nominees, Dr. Timothy Yangien Ornguga and James Dwen. These two men had been rejected the previous week when Mr. Dajoh was still Speaker. However, Governor Alia sent their names back to the Assembly for reconsideration. Reading the governor’s letter, Speaker Embe explained that neither of the nominees had been convicted of any crime or indicted by a court of law. Since the Assembly’s duty is mainly to screen nominees and make recommendations, the lawmakers eventually confirmed both of them as commissioners, saying they would now serve the state through the governor’s cabinet.
In addition, the House also looked into the suspension of three other officials:
- Dr. Grace Adagba, Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board,
- Maxwell Ogiri, Executive Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, and
- Michael Upper, Executive Secretary of the State Lottery and Sporting Board.
These officials had earlier been suspended by Governor Alia. But because they each wrote letters of apology to the Assembly, the lawmakers recommended that the governor forgive them and allow them to return to their duties.
In his ruling, Speaker Embe said, “To make mistakes is part of being human, but to forgive is a divine act. Since these officials have accepted their faults and apologized, we believe they will no longer work against this House. We therefore appeal to the governor to lift their suspension.”
