- Governor Hyacinth Alia insisted he played no role in the leadership crisis that led to Dajoh’s resignation as speaker.
- The assembly has been mired in disputes since February when lawmakers clashed over allegations against the state’s chief judge.
A suspended member of the Benue State House of Assembly, Alfred Berger, has been elected as the new speaker.
Berger, who represents Makurdi North constituency, was chosen on Sunday during an emergency sitting of the Assembly.
The sitting was presided over by the deputy speaker, Lami Danladi, after the resignation of the former speaker, Hyacinth Dajoh.
Berger was among four lawmakers suspended on Friday over alleged involvement in a plot to impeach Dajoh.
The governor of Benue, Hyacinth Alia, denied knowledge of the alleged plot and insisted he had no hand in the speaker’s removal.
The Benue Assembly has been embroiled in a leadership crisis for several months.
In February, 13 lawmakers were suspended for three months for allegedly working against the removal of the state’s chief judge, Maurice Ikpambese.
Ikpambese had been accused of corruption and gross misconduct by some legislators who initially supported his removal.
However, the lawmakers later reversed themselves, claiming the impeachment attempt was flawed due to procedural lapses.
Some of the suspended legislators were reinstated in July following a review of their cases.
The recurring tensions have kept the Assembly in the spotlight, raising concerns about legislative stability in the state.