The Benue State House of Assembly on Sunday elected Alfred Emberger as its new Speaker, following the resignation of Rt. Hon. Aondona Dajoh.
The emergency plenary, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Lami Danaldi-Ogenyi, also lifted the suspension earlier imposed on four members, including Alfred Emberger, who had been sanctioned on Friday over an alleged plot to remove the former Speaker.
Majority Leader Saater Tiseer moved the motion for the recall of the four lawmakers, which was seconded by the member representing Logo State Constituency, Samuel Jiji and the resolution was unanimously adopted, and the affected members were immediately readmitted into the chamber.
When the floor was opened for debate, Hon. Douglas Akyaa of Makurdi South nominated Hon. Alfred Emberger for the Speakership. The motion was seconded by Abu Umoru of Apa State Constituency and with no other nominations, Hon. Emberger was declared elected and sworn in by the Clerk of the House, John Hwande.
In his acceptance speech shortly after being sworn into office, the new Speaker commended his predecessor for his contributions to the Assembly and pledged to run a leadership that promotes inclusiveness, fairness, and respect for divergent views.
The development ends a week of political tension in the Assembly, which had been thrown into uncertainty by Friday’s suspension of the four members and the subsequent resignation of the former speaker, Hon. Aondona Dajoh.
Cr – Ohitty TV/Radio
– Balogun Muhammed Jamiu
