The resignation of immediate past Benue State House of Assembly Speaker, Aondona Dajoh has continued to raise dust.
The ruling All progressives Congress {APC} has been torn between two camps: Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
Both have been in ‘cold war’ over who controls the structure of the party .
Ex-Speaker Dajoh is the casualty of the latest struggle, sources said.
Dajoh, until last Friday, wielded the big stick by suspending four lawmakers, who were accused of planning his impeachment.
But barely 48 hours of pronouncing the suspension of his colleagues, including Alfred Berger, Chairman, House Committee on Information; Terna Shimawua, representing Kian State Constituency; Cyril Ekong of Obi State Constituency and James Umoru of Apa State Constituency, Dajoh resigned.
He claimed he did so voluntarily.
Also, the House of Assembly insisted yesterday that Dajoh’s resignation was a personal decision and not influenced by Fr.Alia.
Dajoh, who resigned in an handwritten statement, described his decision as being in “good faith and in the best interest of the state.”
At an emergency plenary presided over by Deputy Speaker Lami Ogenyi, lawmakers suspended the rules and unanimously voted Emberga, representing Makurdi North, as the new Speaker.
Members of the APC were not surprised at the Speaker’s resignation.
In 2023, after the proclamation of the 10th House of Assembly by the governor, the battle for the control of the principal offices between Alia and Akume began immediately.
Fr. Alia preferred Dajoh from Gboko East constituency. The SGF and other lawmakers backed Mrs. Becky Orpin.
After a fierce battle on the floor of the House, Fr. Alia’s-backed lawmaker, Dajoh was elected.
The APC chapter has since then never recovered from the House of Assembly contest.
For the past two years, it has been a battle between Governor Alia’s faction , known as ‘the masses’, and the SGF’s faction, known as ‘Stakeholders’.
