The political atmosphere in Benue State has been thrown into turmoil following the dramatic resignation of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Aondona Dajoh. His exit, according to reports, was not voluntary but a result of intense political pressure from Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, whose administration is now at the centre of a storm of corruption allegations.
Investigations led by the Assembly under Dajoh had uncovered a series of damning allegations against the governor, running into 42 separate counts and amounting to financial irregularities estimated at ₦117 billion. The report accused Governor Alia of gross abuse of office, mismanagement of state funds, nepotism, unconstitutional actions, and failures in security and governance.
Central to the allegations were contracts awarded without due process, some running into tens of billions of naira. One of the most controversial was a ₦73 billion road construction contract awarded to Bauhaus Global Investment Nig. Ltd. in January 2024 for the Mbawar Secondary School–Bako–Negher–Tyam–Naa–Adikpo/Calabar Road with an additional spur to Mede–Mbara–Mbaakon.
The lawmakers alleged that the contract had no State Executive Council approval, no bidding process, no budgetary provision, and was backed by a backdated certificate.
Other contracts cited in the report included the construction of the Obarike Ito–Adum East–Oju Road valued at ₦19.7 billion, the installation of 448 solar streetlights in Makurdi for ₦307 million, and the procurement of assorted government vehicles costing more than ₦14 billion. Even small-scale projects such as the production of calendars and publicity materials were allegedly executed outside statutory and legislative approval.
The Assembly also accused Governor Alia of freezing state accounts and operating them at his discretion, in violation of established statutory and administrative procedures.
Funds earmarked for the 23 Local Government Areas were allegedly diverted, crippling grassroots governance and undermining the constitutionally guaranteed autonomy of local councils as affirmed by the Supreme Court.
The governor was further accused of concentrating appointments in his native Vandeikya Local Government Area, flouting the federal character principle enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
Lawmakers said he created bureaus and parastatals unilaterally, appointing loyalists to head them while sidelining constitutionally empowered commissioners, a move that has weakened institutional efficiency and fueled public dissatisfaction.
Security lapses also featured prominently in the allegations. The report faulted the governor for failing to protect the populace from widespread attacks across 17 local government areas, which forced the creation of 20 internally displaced persons camps, including two designated as mega camps.
It also condemned the controversial Executive Order he signed in 2024 banning public gatherings, wakes, ceremonies and religious events, a directive reportedly enforced by armed thugs loyal to his administration.
The most serious allegations, however, involved interference in the judiciary. In March 2025, Governor Alia was accused of deploying his loyal group, known locally as “No Alia, No Benue,” to barricade the High Court of Justice in Makurdi, preventing the Chief Judge and other judicial staff from accessing the court.
Stones and debris were allegedly used to intimidate workers, an act described by the Assembly as a blatant violation of the principle of separation of powers and a direct assault on the independence of the judiciary.
The Assembly further accused the governor of refusing to sign the 2025 Appropriation Law, choosing instead to authorize state expenditures without legislative approval despite repeated warnings about the dangerous constitutional implications of such actions.
Faced with the growing threat of impeachment, sources said Governor Alia moved swiftly to neutralize opposition in the legislature. It was alleged that ₦2 billion was deployed to influence the succession process following Dajoh’s resignation, leading to the emergence of Hon. Alfred Emberga, the representative of Makurdi-North State Constituency, as the new Speaker of the House.
With 42 allegations ranging from financial impropriety and abuse of office to judicial intimidation and governance failures, Benue’s political climate has entered a period of unprecedented uncertainty. While Governor Alia has yet to issue an official response, analysts say the crisis is far from over and could significantly reshape the balance of power in the state ahead of the next electoral cycle.
