The Benue State House of Assembly has suspended 13 members for three months over what the Speaker, Chief Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, termed as “dishonorable actions capable of casting aspersions and causing acrimony in the House”.
The suspended members, including Mr. Douglas Akya (Makurdi South), Mr. Jonathan Agbidye (Katsina-Ala East), and Mrs. Beckie Orpin (Gboko East), among others, are accused of denying their involvement in the removal of the State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambase, despite initially voting in favor of the motion.
According to the Majority Leader, Comr. Saater Tiseer, the House received a complaint from the Attorney-General detailing allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, bribery, and corruption against the embattled Chief Judge. After exhaustive deliberation, 23 members out of 31 present voted in support of the recommendation to remove the Judge.
The suspended members are also required to refund the funds paid to them for a foreign trip, which they will no longer be embarking on.
This development is the latest in the ongoing crisis rocking the Benue State House of Assembly, which has generated controversy on social media, with many questioning the legality of both the Chief Judge’s removal and the lawmakers’ suspension.²
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