In a suit filed on December 5, 2025 and marked NICN/ABJ/368/2025, Dajoh, through his legal team led by renowned constitutional lawyer Prof. Sebastine Hon, SAN, is challenging his suspension from the Assembly and the stoppage of his official entitlements.
The crisis in the Benue State House of Assembly has taken a new legal turn as the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has dragged the current Speaker, the Assembly, as well as heads of key national security agencies before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja Division.
In a suit filed on December 5, 2025 and marked NICN/ABJ/368/2025, Dajoh, through his legal team led by renowned constitutional lawyer Prof. Sebastine Hon, SAN, is challenging his suspension from the Assembly and the stoppage of his official entitlements.
The former Speaker is seeking a judicial declaration that his six-month suspension from November 2025, as well as the non-payment of his overhead and emoluments, pegged at N8 million monthly, is unconstitutional, unlawful, and a violation of his right to fair hearing.
The embattled lawmaker argues that the suspension breached Sections 36(1) and 101 of the 1999 Constitution and provisions of the Standing Orders of the Benue State House of Assembly (Order X, Rules 72(11) and (12)).
He argues that “by a combined interpretation of sections 36(1) and 101 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)” and the Standing Orders of the Assembly, the action taken against him is “unconstitutional, null and void.”
Court papers obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday listed the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly; Benue State House of Assembly; the Inspector-General of Police; the Chief of Defence Staff and the Department of State Services (DSS) as 1st to 5th Defendants.
He 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 the court for the "immediate reinstatement as the member representing Gboko West Constituency. Payment of all withheld allowances from November 2025 until judgement.
"AN ORDER reinstating the Claimant as a member of the 2nd Defendant forthwith, for him to perform his lawful duty as the House member representing the Gboko West State Constituency, with all his rights, privileges and entitlements.
"AN ORDER compelling the Defendants to pay the Claimants all his overhead allowances and bonuses totalling N8,000,000.00 monthly, which have not been paid the Claimant since November, 2025 due to the said unlawful suspension, calculated per each month, till judgment and enforcement thereof or compliance therewith/any time the payment is voluntarily or by any other means resumed, whichever one is earlier.
"AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 1st - 3rd Defendants from further taking/causing or permitting to be taken any administrative, plenary or other decisions/steps whatsoever, aimed at or intended for the suspension/exclusion/barring of the Claimant from 2nd Defendant.
"AN ORDER OF PRPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the 3rd, 4th and 5th Defendants from preventing, at the instance of the 1st and 2nd Defendants, the Claimant from lawful ingress into and egress out of the premises and Chambers of the 2nd Defendant.
"AN ORDER for payment by the 1st and 2nd Defendants of the sum of N1 Billion general damages, for mental and psychological torture on the person of the Claimant, arising from the wrongful and unconstitutional suspension slammed on him by the Defendants.
"AN ORDER for payment by the Defendants of the sum of N1 Billion aggravated damages, for the unconscionable conduct of the 1st and 2nd Defendants of suspending the Claimant for six (6) solid months on the day the latter's similar suspension for three months had come to an end and he was entitled to resume plenary for his constituents."
The originating summons requests the court to decide “whether the Benue Assembly’s suspension of Dajoh, without what he calls lawful justification or fair hearing, is constitutional and valid."
Dajoh, who served as Speaker until his removal earlier in 2025, has been at the centre of prolonged internal political tensions within the Benue legislature. His back-to-back suspensions have deepened the crisis and drawn criticism from legal and political observers.
The defendants have been given eight days to enter an appearance upon service of the summons.