Former Benue Assembly Speaker reveals reason behind Governor Alia's role in his ousting

A fresh wave of controversy has engulfed Benue State, as former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Aondona Dajoh, has come forward with allegations that Governor Hyacinth Alia masterminded his removal from office after he declined to support a proposal to relocate the Palace of the Chairman of Benue Traditional Council from Gboko to Ihugh, the governor’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area.

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This revelation was made by Dajoh on Saturday during his 50th birthday celebration at Akpagher Mbatiav in Gboko LGA, where he was addressing a gathering of political associates, traditional leaders, family members, and supporters.

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According to Dajoh, Governor Alia had personally communicated the proposal to him through an official letter, and his rejection of the idea became one of the reasons for his eventual ouster, with the former Speaker claiming that the governor had sent a letter directing him to relocate the Tor Tiv Palace from Gboko to his community, Ihugh.

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Dajoh alleged that he had rejected the idea, telling the governor that he wanted to kill him, and that this was one of his biggest offences, which attracted hostility from key figures within the governor’s inner circle.

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He further claimed that when he rejected the idea of moving the Tor Tiv Palace to the governor’s hometown, one of the most powerful men around Governor Alia had warned him that rejecting the proposal would mean the end of his speakership.

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Dajoh also accused the governor of spending over N200 million in an unsuccessful bid to remove the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, and took aim at the governor over actions he described as contrary to the interests of the Jemgbagh people.

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The former Speaker recalled a statement Alia allegedly made during the 2023 electioneering campaign, in which he said anybody who beats the Jemgbagh people will be inflicted with madness, and Dajoh claimed that Alia had beaten Tor Jemgbagh, Ter Gboko, and taken the Jemgbagh Speaker to another zone.

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The Benue state government has swiftly dismissed the allegations as false, describing them as a mixture of conspiracy theories, unfounded accusations, and political bitterness, with the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, challenging Dajoh to produce evidence of the alleged correspondence directing the relocation of the Tor Tiv Palace.

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The government argued that any official communication from the Executive to the House of Assembly would have been formally presented before lawmakers and could not have been privately handled by the Speaker, and Kula questioned the constitutional basis of the allegation, noting that the Benue State House of Assembly lacked the authority to relocate the headquarters of a traditional institution such as the Tor Tiv Palace.

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The government also demanded clarification on Dajoh’s claim regarding the alleged N200 million meant for the removal of the Chief Judge, with Kula stating that Dajoh now owes Benue people a clear explanation on where he took the money to, and who were the beneficiaries of the ‘bribe’ money.

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The governor’s aide defended the administration’s handling of the Wurukum–Renewed Hope Estate road project, insisting that the contract followed federal standards and approvals and was being executed transparently.