Benue State House of Assembly has entered a new phase with the election of Mr. Alfred Emberga as Speaker on August 24, 2025, after former Speaker, Hyacinth Dajoh, resigned during an emergency sitting of the House presided over by Deputy Speaker, Mrs. Lami Ogenyi. The orderly transfer of power— not only punctuated by an official lifting of suspensions affecting Emberga and three others — proclaimed not only a change at the top but also an opportunity to reset the agenda and rich-working relationships within the Assembly.
Deputy Speaker Ogenyi has “a good feeling” about the new Speaker, emphasizing his “humility” as well as “due process” transparency and accountability, as well as the way he leads, namely through a collaborative, inclusive approach. Ogenyi described an important first step towards a more cooperative model working together, rather than competing against one another, as reporting decisions through a consultative process to get as many perspectives from principal officers and members, or rank and file members. Ogenyi noted this shift is a “healthy departure” from previous practice, where significant decisions were sometimes produced together within a narrow caucus.
In her comments, Ogenyi underlined Mr. Emberga’s inclinations to create internal checks within the organization: regular briefings to the leadership caucus; providing the committee calendar to the rank and file of the democratic process; and urging members to cross party lines as co-sponsorship to bills. She remarked that Emberga has always consulted her on matters, creating a collegial relationship between the Speaker’s office and the Deputy Speaker, and easing tensions that often arise from legislative calendar management.
The Deputy Speaker also praised Emberga for his responsiveness to women and youth issues, assuring the general public that even under his leadership, the Assembly would enact laws that would improve development and conform with the policies of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration. The issues raised that were reportedly under consideration included primary healthcare delivery, basic education delivery outcomes, and the opportunities to small and medium enterprises – especially for its youth applicants and women-led cooperatives. Ogenyi raised proposals that update the state’s scholarship scheme, civic and vocational education, and gender-responsive budgeting in ministries and agencies.
Emberga’s ascendance is on the backdrop of political turmoil, which recently included the suspension of Emberga and three other members on allegations of plotting the removal of the former Speaker. This suspension has been lifted during the emergency sitting to elect Emberga- an election outcome that many observers believe suggests an element of reconciliation to also suggest a kind of consolidation of a new majority in the Assembly. Political analysts see, in these happenings, a further indicator of what is a new phase of political realignment in Benue, especially with the approach of the 2027 elections. Observers conjecture, without alluding to declaration of party positions, if, and when, the political alignments in the Assembly will also cascade into structures of the party structure from local government, potentially affecting candidate choice and campaigns and their eventual outcomes during elections.
This realignment is also set to readjust the relationship between the Assembly and the state executive. Although acrimony is not unexpected in states politics, Emberga’s gestures – which include a commitment to budget openness and dialogue with the executive on matters involving the legislature – suggest an approach as much as to policy delivery as opposed to confrontation. Analysts observe that how long this detente lasts will depend on the timely delivery of passage of appropriation bills, diligently overseeing engagements during project monitoring and otherwise responsiveness from the legislature regarding its constituents with gaps in service delivery.
Governor Hyacinth Alia congratulated Emberga for his election and expressed optimism that he would lead the Assembly effectively. The Governor expressed the view that it was essential that the executive and the Assembly worked together for the progress of the state. More practically, collaboration could take place in priority sectors: agriculture for value-chain development (notably Benues staples), rehabilitation of rural road and markets infrastructure, and coordination of security in farmer-herder conflicts communities.