…Insists NASS move borne out of ignorance

Benue State House of Assembly has described the invitation extended to its Speaker, Aondona Dajoh, and leadership by the House of Representatives as a move conceived out of ignorance.

The House in a unanimous voice during plenary, rejected the invitation and asked the speaker to ignore the invitation.

Recall that following a petition to the green chambers by a group, called Guardians of Democracy, calling on the House of Representatives to intervene in the crisis rocking Benue State House of Assembly, the House Committee on Public Petitions in the House of Representatives recently passed a resolution inviting speaker of Benue State House of Assembly to appear before it tomorrow, May 8, 2025.

In a letter dated April 30, 2025, the committee requested Dajoh and the house leadership to answer questions regarding the suspension of 13 members of the Benue State House of Assembly.

However, in yesterday’s sitting in Makurdi, the House of Assembly passed a resolution calling on the speaker to disregard the summons from the National Assembly, arguing that the summons contravened the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended.

It 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 House of Assembly also called on the National Assembly caucus from Benue State (Senate/Reps) to  come for proper engagement to ascertain why the state was portrayed in bad light in the National Assembly.

Lending his voice to the petition sent by the National Assembly summoning the speaker and leadership of the Assembly, Majority Leader of the House, Comr. Saater Tiseer, said the notice sent by the National Assembly was out of ignorance.

‘’ By the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Benue State House of Assembly is not answerable to the National Assembly,’’ Tiseer said.

According to him, section (101) has given the House the powers to legislate on its business without external control.

The member representing Katsina- Ala West State constituency, Bemdoo Ipusu, accepted the decision of the House to take the National Assembly to court, adding that the House should include the petitioning group, Guidance of Democracy, for misleading the National Assembly.

He noted that the group in mentioning the names of the suspended members mentioned Peter Uche, which showed that the group lacked knowledge of what transpired on the floor of the House that day.

The lawmaker wondered why the National Assembly would want to take over the functions of the Assembly that was performing its duties effectively, noting that the three arms of government in the state were not fighting one another.

Also, members, including Micheal Audu and Peter Uche, condemned in totality the decision of the National Assembly and urged the speaker and the leadership not to appear.

Uche said he was still performing his duties in the House as elected, wondering why the group included his name among those suspended.

He said the act clearly showed that the National Assembly was not properly informed.