Ex-Benue Speaker claims Gov. Alia ousted him over Tor Tiv Palace relocation dispute

Former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hyacinth Dajoh, has alleged that Governor Hyacinth Alia orchestrated his removal from office after he refused to support a proposal to relocate the palace of the Tor Tiv from Gboko to Ihugh, the governor’s hometown in Vandeikya Local Government Area.

Mr Dajoh, who represented Gboko West State Constituency in the Assembly, resigned as speaker in August 2025, barely 48 hours after the House suspended four lawmakers over an alleged plot to impeach him.

Shortly after his resignation, the former speaker was suspended by the Assembly for three months over allegations that he conspired to impeach Governor Alia.

The suspension was later extended by an additional six months in November 2025.

Speaking during activities marking his 50th birthday celebration at Akpagher Mbatiav in Gboko Local Government Area, Mr Dajoh claimed that the circumstances surrounding his resignation were politically motivated and orchestrated by the governor.

According to him, his major offence was rejecting a proposal allegedly conveyed by Governor Alia to relocate the palace of the Tor Tiv, the paramount ruler of the Tiv people, from Gboko to Ihugh.

“Governor Alia sent a letter to me directing that I should relocate the Tor Tiv Palace from Gboko to his community, Ihugh. I rejected the idea. I told him that he wanted to kill me. This was one of my biggest offences,” Mr Dajoh alleged.

He further claimed that after rejecting the proposal, he was warned by a close associate of the governor about the consequences of his decision.

“When I rejected the idea of moving the Tor Tiv Palace to the governor’s hometown, Moses Ternenge, one of the most influential figures around Governor Alia, told me that if I rejected the proposal, I should consider that as the end of my speakership,” he said.

The former speaker also recalled events leading up to the 2023 general elections, during which Governor Alia allegedly declared at a gathering in Jemgbagh that anyone who oppressed the people of the area would be afflicted with madness.

Mr Dajoh argued that the governor had since acted contrary to the interests of the Jemgbagh people through a series of political decisions.

“It was on this soil that Alia stood and said anybody who beats the Jemgbagh people will be inflicted with madness. But Alia has beaten Tor Jemgbagh and Ter Gboko, taken the Jemgbagh speakership to another zone, and oppressed their sons. So, he has been inflicted with madness,” Dajoh alleged.

The Benue State Government had yet to respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.