The crisis in the Benue State House of Assembly has escalated legally, as former Speaker Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh filed a suit against the current Speaker, the Assembly, and key national security officials over his suspension and withheld entitlements.

Filed on December 5, 2025 (NICN/ABJ/368/2025), and led by Prof. Sebastine Hon, SAN, Dajoh seeks a declaration that his six-month suspension, effective November 2025, and the stoppage of his N8 million monthly overhead and emoluments, are unconstitutional and a violation of his right to fair hearing.

Dajoh argues the suspension breaches Sections 36(1) and 101 of the 1999 Constitution and the Assembly’s Standing Orders (Order X, Rules 72(11) and (12)), asserting that the involvement of security agencies in barring him from the Assembly was unlawful.

The suit names the current Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff, and the DSS as defendants. Among seven reliefs sought, Dajoh requests:

• Immediate reinstatement as the member representing Gboko West Constituency.
• Payment of all withheld allowances and bonuses totaling N8 million per month since November 2025.
• Perpetual injunctions restraining the defendants from barring him from Assembly premises.
• Payment of N1 billion general damages for mental and psychological distress.
• Payment of N1 billion aggravated damages for the allegedly unconscionable conduct of the Assembly leadership.

The court has been asked to determine whether the Assembly’s suspension of Dajoh was lawful and constitutional.

Dajoh, removed earlier in 2025, has been at the centre of protracted political tensions within the Assembly, with back-to-back suspensions deepening the crisis. Defendants have been given eight days to respond.