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…It is not true – Govt
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
In a fresh political controversy, the former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr Aondona Dajoh, has alleged that the State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, removed him from office for refusing to support a proposal to relocate the Tor Tiv Palace from Gboko to Ihugh, the governor’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
Dajoh made the allegations on Friday while addressing political associates, traditional rulers, family members and supporters during activities marking his 50th birthday celebration at Akpagher Mbatiav in Gboko LGA.
The former Speaker alleged that Governor Alia formally communicated the plan to move the revered traditional institution from its ancestral seat in Gboko to Ihugh but he strongly opposed the proposal.
According to him, his rejection of the alleged proposal became one of the major reasons for his eventual removal as Speaker.
He claimed he told the governor that supporting such a move would amount to political suicide and a betrayal of the Tiv people.
“Governor Alia sent a letter to me directing that I should relocate the Tor Tiv Palace from Gboko to his community, Ihugh. I rejected the idea. I told him that he wanted to kill me. This was one of my biggest offences,” Dajoh said.
The former Speaker further alleged that influential figures close to the governor warned him that opposing the proposal would cost him his position. He specifically named one of the governor’s associates, claiming he was informed that his speakership would not survive resistance to the plan.
Dajoh took a swipe at Governor Alia over political developments in Jemgbagh, recalling a statement allegedly made by the governor during the 2023 electioneering campaign that anyone who oppressed the people of the area would face consequences.
However, the Benue State Government has strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as false, unfounded and politically motivated.
In a statement tagged “Aondona Dajoh’s Cocktail Of Conspiracy Theories and Unfounded Accusations Against Governor Alia” and signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, the government accused the former Speaker of peddling conspiracy theories and attempting to manipulate public opinion.
The statement challenged Dajoh to produce the alleged letter directing the relocation of the Tor Tiv Palace, arguing that any official communication from the Executive to the House of Assembly would have followed established legislative procedures and could not have been handled privately by the Speaker.
The government further maintained that the Benue State House of Assembly lacks the constitutional authority to relocate the headquarters of a traditional institution such as the Tor Tiv Palace, describing the allegation as illogical and inconsistent with the law.
“His allegations are not only false and misleading, but they also expose troubling questions about his stewardship as Speaker and his understanding of the constitutional powers and limitations of the Benue State House of Assembly,” Kula said.
