The crisis rocking the Benue State House of Assembly has intensified as former Speaker and Gboko West lawmaker, Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has instituted a ₦2 billion lawsuit against the Speaker, the Assembly, and key security chiefs over what he describes as his unlawful suspension.
Dajoh filed the suit at the National Industrial Court in Abuja, marked NICN/ABJ/368/2025, received on December 5.
The defendants include the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, the Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
In his originating summons, Dajoh argues that the six-month suspension slammed on him in November 2025 violates Sections 36(1) and 101 of the Constitution, as well as the Assembly’s Standing Orders.
He insists he was denied fair hearing, and that his entitlements, including an alleged ₦8 million monthly overhead, were abruptly withheld.
The former Speaker is asking the court to declare the suspension unconstitutional, null and void, order his immediate reinstatement with full privileges, and compel payment of all allowances withheld from November 2025 until judgment is delivered.
Dajoh is also seeking two perpetual injunctions restraining the Speaker and Assembly from re-suspending or excluding him, and barring security agencies from preventing his access to the Assembly complex.
Additionally, he prays the court to award ₦1 billion in general damages for emotional and psychological distress, and ₦1 billion in aggravated damages over what he terms the Assembly’s “unconscionable conduct.
” He notes that he had earlier served an unrelated three-month suspension prior to the latest action.
The court will determine whether the suspension aligns with constitutional provisions and the House rules. According to Dajoh, the move against him was politically motivated and lacked due process.
As at press time, the Speaker and the Assembly have not publicly reacted to the suit.
