Fresh details have emerged on the sudden resignation of Aondona Dajoh, the immediate past Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly.

Dajoh abruptly resigned his position on Sunday afternoon, and within hours, Hon. Alfred Berger Ermberga, a lawmaker who was recently suspended over an alleged plot to unseat him, was sworn in as the new Speaker.

The development has fueled widespread speculation, as no official reason has yet been given for Dajoh’s removal.

According to Lagos-based journalist and former spokesman to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Ismail Omipidan, Dajoh’s resignation was tied to his role in presiding over the House session that rejected the nomination of Professor Yangien Ornguga as Commissioner.

Omipidan, however, offered fresh insight in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page.

In a piece titled “Benue House: Why Speaker Dajoh Was Removed”, he suggested that Dajoh was punished for asserting the independence of the legislature.

“The former Speaker, Aondona Dajoh, was courageous in carrying out the screening of nominees for the position of commissioners last week. But I knew the rejection of the younger brother of the Tor Tiv, an Associate Professor of Law, Yangien Ornguga, would trigger crisis,” Omipidan wrote.

Tor Tiv is the title of the supreme traditional ruler of the Tiv people.

Omipidan explained that Ornguga, a lecturer at Benue State University, Makurdi, is the younger brother of the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, who is very close to Governor Hyacinth Alia. The governor reportedly gave the Tor Tiv a slot in his cabinet, which led to Ornguga’s nomination.

However, Omipidan noted that lawmakers, citing numerous petitions, considered Ornguga unsuitable for the position, a decision that may have angered both the governor and the Tor Tiv, ultimately costing Dajoh his seat as Speaker.

He further suggested that the nomination of Ornguga could be re-presented to the House in the near future.

“Watch out, the rejected nominee may be presented to the House again. And if and when that happens, he may no longer be found wanting. We are watching,” Omipidan said.