MAKURDI — The Benue State political order fractured this month after the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Aondona Dajoh, stepped down amid explosive findings by an Assembly committee that accuse Governor Rev Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia of systemic financial mismanagement and gross abuse of office.
The document produced under Dajoh’s watch catalogues 42 separate allegations with an aggregate value of N117 billion.
The resignation, dated 24 August 2025 and delivered to the Clerk of the House, was presented as voluntary and done in the interest of the state.
Yet sources quoted by national outlets describe it as the product of intense political pressure from the Governor’s camp after the Assembly signalled impeachment proceedings.
The House moved quickly to replace Dajoh with Hon Alfred Emberga of Makurdi North in an emergency sitting that has done little to calm nerves.
What the Assembly unearthed reads like a catalogue of governance failures. Its report alleges a pervasive pattern of procurement without statutory process.
Contracts allegedly awarded without State Executive Council approval or competitive tender include transport and road works projects in Makurdi and Gboko, multi billion naira road schemes and bulk procurements of official vehicles.
The report also accuses the state of backdating certificates of no objection to justify contracts that lacked budgetary provisions.
The scale and recurring nature of the allegations explain why impeachment moved from whisper to threat.
One headline item in the dossier is a contested N73 billion road and school contract said to have been awarded to Bauhaus Global Investment Nig. Ltd and signed on 8 January 2024.
The Assembly asserts there was no advert no bidding no State Executive Council conclusion and no appropriation to underwrite the work.
That claim sits at the centre of questions about whether due process was routinely overridden in favour of unilateral executive action.
Beyond procurement the report levels serious charges of financial manipulation. Lawmakers say state accounts were frozen and run at the Governor’s discretion.
They allege statutory allocations intended for Benue’s 23 local government areas were diverted or withheld undermining the independence of local councils a principle reinforced by the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy in July 2024.
If proved the diversion of LG funds would not only be illegal but would deepen the humanitarian impact already felt by communities.
Security and the rule of law feature prominently in the Assembly’s critique. The report recalls an executive order in 2024 that banned public gatherings and which critics say was enforced by armed men.
More alarming are the allegations that in March 2025 groups known locally as NO ALIA NO BENUE blocked access to the High Court of Justice at Old G.R.A Makurdi impeding judicial officers and threatening separation of powers.
The Assembly concluded these actions were intended to intimidate the judiciary and frustrate constitutional checks.
Governor Alia’s camp has pushed back. The Governor’s office has issued denials and described claims of orchestrating Dajoh’s removal as false.
Government spokespeople and the Special Assistant on Social Media say the executive had no hand in any attempt to remove the Speaker and insist the new leadership will restore harmony.
Those denials are part of the contest of narratives now playing out across state institutions and social platforms.
The fallout has been immediate and punitive. Within days of his resignation Aondona Dajoh found himself suspended from the Assembly for three months on allegations he plotted to impeach the Governor.
The new Speaker has presided over a rapid re screening of commissioner nominees many of whom Mr Dajoh had previously withheld.
Critics see these moves as consolidation of executive influence in the legislature and a warning to dissenters.
Independent verification of the Assembly’s financial totals and contract documents remains limited in the public domain.
The most detailed account available to journalists at the time of writing comes via the Assembly report as presented to the House and subsequent press briefings and leaks.
Where the Assembly names companies contract dates and sums those claims require documentary scrutiny that only a forensic audit can supply.
The allegation that N2 billion was deployed to influence the speakership succession has been reported by local outlets but is so far uncorroborated by bank trails or admitted sources.
Sensational as it is that claim therefore remains an allegation not an established fact.
Context matters. Benue has endured cycles of insecurity and developmental neglect. The state’s recent political turbulence follows a period when federal rulings enhanced local government autonomy exposing fresh friction over revenue and control.
The combination of large single source contracts alleged backdating of approvals and executive clampdown on dissent creates a toxic mix for governance and public trust.
What next. The immediate questions are procedural and legal. Will the Assembly refer its report to anti graft agencies for investigation?
Will the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the state auditor general open a forensic audit?
Are there credible court actions challenging the contracts and the alleged interference with the judiciary
The answers will determine whether Benue moves to a constitutional reckoning or slides into managed compliance.
For now the spectacle of a Speaker forced from office a suspended predecessor and a newly empowered Speaker approved amid allegations of cash inducement has fractured public confidence.
For an electorate already wearied by insecurity and economic strain the stakes are high. If the allegations in the Assembly report are sustained they point to systemic governance breakdown at the very moment.
Benue needs transparent leadership to rebuild communities and restore trust. If they are disproved they point to a legislature weaponised by factional politics.
Either outcome demands fast transparent independent inquiry and clear custody of public records. The people of Benue deserve nothing less.
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