The Benue State House of Assembly has elected Hon. Berg Afled Emberga, representing Makurdi North Constituency, as its new Speaker.
Emberga replaced Hon. Aondona Dajoh, who resigned on Sunday afternoon amid a week-long leadership crisis that rocked the Assembly.
The election took place during a sitting that began at about 4:30 p.m. and ended around 7 p.m.
Benue State House of Assembly has described the invitation extended to Speaker Aondona Dajoh and the leadership of the House by the House of Representatives as an action taken out of ignorance.
The House, in a consensus decision rejected the invitation and asked the Speaker to ignore it.
The House of Reps Committee on Public Petitions, acting on a petition by a group – Guardians of Democracy – which called the Green Chamber to intervene in the crisis rocking the Benue State House of Assembly.
The Green Chambers House Committee on Public Petitions recently passed a resolution inviting the Speaker Benue State House of Assembly to appear before it tomorrow.
In a letter dated 30th April 2025, the committee is requesting Dajoh and the house leadership to answer questions regarding the suspension of 13 members of the Benue State House of Assembly.
However, during yesterday’s sitting, the Benue State House of Assembly passed the resolution rejecting the invitation.
The Assembly argued that the summons contravene the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended.
The House expressed readiness to take legal actions against the National Assembly, while also requesting investigations by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Inspector General of Police into the individuals who signed the petition.
The Benue State House of Assembly also called on the National Assembly Caucus from Benue State (Senate/ Reps) to come for proper engagement with the house to ascertain why the State is portrayed in bad light at the National Assembly.
Lending his voice on the petition sent by the National Assembly summoning the Speaker and leadership of the Assembly, Majority Leader Saater Tiseer said the notice sent by the National Assembly is out of ignorance.
He said, by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Benue State House of Assembly is not answerable to the National Assembly, saying section (101) has given the house the powers to legislate on its business without external control.
Member representing Katsina- Ala West State Constituency Hon. Bemdoo Ipusu accepted the decision of the house to take the National Assembly to court adding that the house should include the Guidance of Democracy for misleading the National Assembly.
He noted that the group in mentioning the names of the suspended members mentioned Hon. Peter Uche which shows that the group lacks knowledge of what transpired on the floor of the house that day.
He wondered why the National Assembly would want to take over the functions of the Assembly that is vibrant and performing its duties effectively, noting that the three arms of government in the State are not fighting each other.
Members including Hon. Micheal Audu and Hon. Peter Uche condemned in totality the decision of the National Assembly and urged the Speaker and the leadership not to appear.
In Abuja, a group of lawyers, who protested at the National Assembly complex yesterday, claimed that the two Houses of Assembly in Benue and Zamfara States were unable to perform their duties due to internal crises and alleged interference by the governors.
In their petition to the Senate, the group known as Save Benue and Zamfara States Coalition called for the takeover of the functions of both Houses.
They claimed that 13 members of the Benue State House of Assembly were suspended for allegedly refusing Governor Hyacinth Alia’s instruction to suspend the Chief Judge of the state.
The lawyers added that in Zamfara, 10 lawmakers were suspended in February on the instructions of Governor Dauda Lawal, for raising the alarm over rising insecurity in the state.
The Sambari Benjamin-led coalition urged the Senate to invoke Section 11(4) of the Constitution, which allows the parliament to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of a state when the House of Assembly is unable to perform its functions.
It warned that the situation, if left unchecked, might lead to a state of emergency being declared in the two states.
The Benue State House of Assembly has approved the removal of the state’s Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Maurice Ikpambese, over allegations of financial impropriety and abuse of office.
The Assembly further directed that the next most senior judge be sworn in as acting Chief Judge pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations.
Factional Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange, and two other principal officers have lost their bids to vacate the court order restraining them from parading as leaders of the House.
A Makurdi High Court, presided by Justice Theresa Igoche, Monday ruled that the order restraining Messrs Ikyange, James Okefe, former Deputy Speaker, and Benjamin Adanyi, former Majority Leader, from parading themselves as principal officers of the of Assembly would persist pending the determination of the substantive matter.
When the matter came up, lawyers to the former Speaker led by Mamman Mike Osuman, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, made an oral application praying the court to vacate the interim order restraining the dependents from parading themselves as leaders of the House, issued on the 27th of July, 2018.
He added that the Order was supposed to last for just seven days, so it ought to have elapsed on Friday, 3rd of August, 2018, sighting Order 39 rule 3(3) of the Rules of the Court.
Lawyers to the new Speaker, Mr. Titus Uba, and 21 others led by Sebatian Hon, SAN, opposed the application.
He argued that the order was specific, depending on the happening of an event, and until that event happens it could not be vacated.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Theresa Igoche held that the order restraining the Speaker and two others from parading themselves as principal officers of the House would subsist pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
She stated that the inability to hear and determine the said motion was not due to the fault of the applicant maintaining that the order was still effective pending the hearing and determination of the motion.
The judge adjourned the case to August 9, 2018 for hearing.
The new Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon Titus Ugba, has said that the Executive Governor of Benue State, Mr Samuel Ortom, is yet to be served an impeachment notice, adding that the eight lawmakers cannot give impeachment notice and thereafter seek for signatures for impeachment.
Ugba stated this while speaking with journalists in Lagos, at the 2018 Conference of Speakers hosted by the Lagos State House of Assembly, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja Saturday.
He stressed that the eight lawmakers did not follow the due process in serving the Governor Impeachment notice, adding that there was no plan to impeach the governor, adding further that the police had been giving court order to vacate the assembly complex for the lawmakers to perform their legislative duties.
The Speaker expressed confidence in leading the Assembly despite the crisis in the state, debunking the allegation against the Governor on the payment of N20million to a Boko Haram suspect.
He said that the security apparatus at the IDPs camp have been withdrawn and that herdsmen have started coming back into Benue State.
Ugba added “Benue has once again demonstrated that democracy is a thing of the people. On the 24th of July to be precise, 22 members came together to say they are tired of what the previous speaker was doing and now they made me the speaker of Benue State House of Assembly.
“When I came here yesterday I was not initially allowed to participate in the speakers conference but the speakers rose that I have to attend because it is not the conference of Speakers that determines who is the speaker of the House. So, I was allowed because the conference is not about partisan but coming together as a family to promote the unity of this country”
He stated further that “The eight members in Benue State did not give the Governor Impeachment notice; they said they are looking for signatures to impeach him.
“You can’t give impeachment notice before seeking for signatures of members for Governor’s impeachment,” he said.
A Makurdi High Court presided by Justice Theresa Igoche, has retrained the eight suspended members of the Benue State House of Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment process they initiated on the Governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom.
The judge also restrained them from sitting and upheld their suspension pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.
“I agree with the Senior Advocate of Nigeria that the applicants have made out a case for the grant of orders sought therein,” She stressed.
“The order also restrains the Chief Judge of Benue state from receiving or acting on any process or request, issued pursuant to the purported sitting, proceedings and resolutions of 30th July, 2018 aimed at or commenced for the purpose of removing the Governor of the State pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
Justice Igoche upheld the subsisting order that was earlier given by Justice Adam Onum, Chief Judge of the state restraining the former speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, and other former principal officers from parading as same and ordered the security agencies to vacate the premises of the Benue State house of Assembly.
Responding, State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Michael Gusa, applauded the ruling saying as a law abiding government, they will always seek redress in the law courts.
Also speaking, Sebastian Hon, SAN, who appeared on behalf of the Plaintiffs alongside 30 lawyers described the ruling as sound and promised to abide by the orders of the court to ensure service o and continue with the case.
Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Titus Uba, said with the order, they expect the police and other security agencies to vacate the premises and stop interfering in their legislative business maintaining that even the President of Country has denied link to the continued occupation of the Assembly complex.
The applicants had on the 31st of July, approached the Court, seeking eight reliefs amongst which were interim order restraining the eight members from sitting, proceeding and or acting in furtherance to the impeachment and the Chief Judge from acting on their request.
It’s illegal and unconstitutional – Governor
The impeached speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Terkimbir Ikyange said on Monday that the assembly has initiated impeachment moves against Governor Samuel Ortom.
This is coming at a time when another faction of the lawmakers under the new speaker Hon. Titus Uba said they have suspended the entire Ikyange led members for six (6) months.
Speaking to newsmen at his official residence after plenary, Ikyange stated that the house would communicate the notice of impeachment to the governor in seven (7) days.
Ikyange led twelve (12) lawmakers to plenary Monday under tight security.
He accused Ortom of embezzling state funds amounting to N55 Billion.
He stated that Ortom embezzled N33 billion through reduction of Local Government funds and used another N22 billion to shop for political platform before he decamped to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
According to Ikyange, as a result of the financial recklessness of Ortom civil servants in Benue state are being owned seven (7) months salaries, while local government are owned eleven (11) month and pensioners fourteen (14) months .
He said the impeachment moves against Ortom also has to do with his non-performance in office.
But reacting, Ortom dismissed the allegations of fraud and non – performance as blatant lies.
The Governor said he has worked with the Speaker for three (3) years but he did not raise the issue of fraud and wondered why the issue is coming now after he defected to the PDP.
“The only crime against me is I enacted “anti – Open grazing prohibition law which is the product of the People of Benue State.”
Ortom pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Inspector – General of Police (IGP) and DSS to order, as according to him “democracy is about rule of law.”
He said eight (8) members of the House cannot over rule twenty two (22) members.
“All that they are trying to do is to change the narratives against me and demobilized me.”
A member of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mrs Ngohemba Agaigbe, has charged women in Benue to participate actively in politics to lift the condition of the womenfolk.
Agaigbe, representing Gboko East Constituency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi on Wednesday that the condition of women in the country might never improve unless more women engaged in partisan politics.
She charged women in Benue to vie for positions in the upcoming local council elections in the state to make the difference, especially at the grassroots.
The lawmaker argued that women as home builders should take interest in politics to make visible contributions to nation building.
“As we prepare for the local government and councillorship elections, I urge women not to only participate in the voting aspects but to ensure they are in the race.”
Agaigbe also advised women, who were given various appointments to use their positions to better the lot of women.
The lawmaker lauded women in Benue for the interest they had shown in skills acquisition programmes, saying that the development would empower the women.
The Benue State House of Assembly has condemned alleged multiple and high taxes in the state.
This followed last week’s protest by farmers and traders in the state over increasing taxation.
Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange, said the house has constituted a three-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the allegation and report back in three weeks.
The committee has Mr. Richard Ujege as Chairman, while Mrs. Mercy Anyanhur is to serve as Secretary. Other members are, Bem Mngutyo and Mathew Ire.
The motion was raised by the member representing Tarka State Constituency, Mr. Bem Mngutyo, under matters of public importance.
The lawmaker expressed dissatisfaction at the arbitrary taxes being foisted on market products, most of which are perishable goods.
He lamented that the situation has become unbearable, resulting in the widespread protest in his constituency, which claimed the life of a baby who slipped off her mother’s back.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Benjamin Nungwa, representing Kwande West constituency, who acknowledged the existence of diverse tax tickets in the state.
Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, has promised to provide conducive atmosphere for the House of Assembly to operate.
Giving the assurance while signing the 2016 budget of N150.7 billion into law Monday, Ortom said he would not interfere with activities of the House.
He said for the purpose of checks and balances, the executive arm of government would prefer a situation where the judiciary and the legislature operate independently but emphasized that synergy would bring about faster development.
He said his administration would ensure that provisions of the budget which has recurrent and capital expenditure of N66.592 billion and N84.148 billion respectively would be strictly complied with, stressing that lawmakers should ensure its implementation through oversight functions.
Ortom said in line with his administration’s fight against corruption, 2016 budget provisions would not be contravened, pointing out that last year’s budget was not properly monitored.
He therefore directed the director of budget to ensure that extra budgetary expenditure does not arise, warning that if there must be such a thing, he must be informed so that approval would be given for supplementary budget or adjustments.
Earlier, while presenting copies of the budget to the governor for his assent, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange, had explained that it was increased from the initial N133. 3 billion to N150.7 billion due to few ongoing projects in the ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs.