Ex-Benue Speaker Dajoh Sues Over Suspension, Withheld N8M Pay

Benue – The political crisis in the Benue State House of Assembly has escalated as former Speaker Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh has filed a suit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja Division, challenging his suspension and the stoppage of his official entitlements.

Filed on December 5, 2025, under suit number NICN/ABJ/368/2025, Dajoh, through his legal team led by constitutional lawyer Prof. Sebastine Hon, SAN, is seeking a judicial declaration that his six-month suspension from November 2025, as well as the withholding of his N8 million monthly allowances, is unconstitutional and a violation of his right to fair hearing.

Court papers list the Speaker, the Benue State House of Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Department of State Services (DSS) as defendants. Dajoh contends that the involvement of security agencies in barring him from the Assembly premises was unlawful and done at the instance of the Assembly leadership.

Among the seven reliefs sought, Dajoh is asking for:

• Immediate reinstatement as the member representing Gboko West Constituency, with all rights and privileges.

• Payment of all withheld allowances from November 2025 until judgment.

• Perpetual injunctions restraining the Assembly and security agencies from preventing his access to the House.

• N1 billion in general damages for mental and psychological torture.

• N1 billion in aggravated damages for unconscionable conduct by the Assembly leadership.

The originating summons asks the court to determine whether Dajoh’s suspension without fair hearing is constitutional and valid.

Dajoh, who served as Speaker until his removal earlier this year, has been at the centre of prolonged internal political tensions within the legislature. Observers say his back-to-back suspensions have deepened the crisis and raised questions about governance and due process in the state Assembly.

The defendants have been given eight days to enter an appearance upon service of the summons.