By Peter Duru

A fresh political storm has erupted in Benue State as former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Aondona Dajoh, alleged that Governor Hyacinth Alia orchestrated his removal from office after he refused to support an alleged plan to relocate the Palace of the Chairman of Benue Traditional Council from Gboko to Ihugh, the governor’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area.

Dajoh made the claim on Saturday during activities marking his 50th birthday celebration at Akpagher Mbatiav in Gboko LGA, where he addressed political associates, traditional leaders, family members and supporters.

The former Speaker alleged that Governor Alia personally communicated the proposal to him through an official letter and that his rejection of the idea became one of the reasons for his eventual ouster.

“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 claimed.

According to him, his opposition to the alleged plan attracted hostility from key figures within the governor’s inner circle.

“When I rejected the idea of moving the Tor Tiv Palace to the governor’s hometown, one of the two most powerful men around Governor Alia (name withheld) told me that if I rejected the proposal, I should consider that as the end of my speakership,” he alleged.

Dajoh further accused the governor of allegedly spending over N200 million in an unsuccessful bid to remove the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese.

The former Speaker also took aim at the governor over what he described as actions contrary to the interests of the Jemgbagh people, recalling a statement Alia allegedly made during the 2023 electioneering campaign.

“It was on this soil that Alia stood and said anybody who beats the Jemgbagh people will be inflicted with madness. But Alia has beaten Tor Jemgbagh, Ter Gboko, taken the Jemgbagh Speaker to another zone, beaten their sons,” Dajoh said.

Reacting swiftly, the Benue state government dismissed the allegations as false, describing them as a mixture of conspiracy theories, unfounded accusations and political bitterness.

In a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the government challenged Dajoh to produce evidence of the alleged correspondence directing the relocation of the Tor Tiv Palace.

“The claim that Governor Hyacinth Alia wrote to him as Speaker asking him to relocate the Palace of the Tor Tiv from Gboko to Ihugh is entirely blatant falsehood, baseless and imaginary,” Kula said.

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.

“We challenge Dajoh to make public the letter he alleged the Governor sent to him to relocate the Tor Tiv Palace to Ihugh,” the statement added.

Kula further 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.

The government also demanded clarification on Dajoh’s claim regarding the alleged N200 million meant for the removal of the Chief Judge. “Dajoh now owes Benue people a clear explanation on where he took the money to, and who were the beneficiaries of the ‘bribe’ money. The people of Benue deserve facts, not fiction; evidence, not emotions; and accountability, not political theatre,” the statement said.

The governor’s aide also 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.