The Benue State House of Assembly has taken disciplinary action against five of its members, announcing their suspension during plenary on Tuesday.
According to a statement released by Terver Zamber, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, the legislators were handed a suspension spanning three legislative sessions following their alleged involvement in manipulating a report concerning the conduct of the Otukpo Local Government Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri.
Those affected by the sanction include Hon. Shimawua Terna, Hon. Mathew Damkor, Hon. Cephas Dyako, Hon. Moses Egbodo, and Hon. Isaac Echekliye. All five lawmakers serve on the Standing Committee on Local Government, Security, and Chieftaincy Affairs, the body responsible for investigating issues within the local government structures of the state.
In his statement, Zamber revealed that the committee’s report presented on the floor of the House strayed from the true content of their findings. He said the deviations were significant enough to raise concerns among members, prompting the Assembly to take immediate action to uncover the real state of affairs surrounding the Otukpo LGA chairman.
The statement further explained that the House, dissatisfied with the nature of the report, moved quickly to establish an ad-hoc committee consisting of five members and led by Hon. Ipusu. The new panel was tasked with launching a more thorough investigation aimed at uncovering the facts and determining the level of accountability associated with the actions of Chairman Maxwell Ogiri.
The suspensions were imposed on the original committee members following allegations that they deliberately obscured the truth in their report. The statement noted that this concealment appeared to serve the purpose of shielding the Otukpo chairman from facing the consequences of his alleged offenses, which included financial mismanagement, abuse of official power, and the controversial shutdown of the Local Government Legislative Chamber.
By imposing the temporary suspension, the Assembly signaled its disapproval of any attempt to obstruct the path to transparency and truth. The lawmakers involved will remain suspended for the duration of three sittings, as the House continues efforts to ensure integrity and proper conduct in its oversight functions.
See the statement below:
BENUE ASSEMBLY SUSPENDS FIVE MEMBERS
Five members of the Benue State House of Assembly were today suspended for three sittings for tempering with the report on the activities of the Chairman, Otukpo Local Government Area Hon. Maxwell Ogiri.
The members are, Hon. Shimawua Terna, Hon. Mathew Damkor, Hon. Cephas Dyako, Hon. Moses Egbodo and Hon. Isaac Echekliye, they are all members of the House Standing committee on Local Government, Security and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Recall that, the Chairman of the Local Government, Security and Chieftaincy Affairs Hon. Terna Shimawua, alongside the members of the committee were mandated by the house to investigate alleged misappropriation of local government funds and abuse of office by the chairman Otukpo Local Government Hon. Maxwell Ogiri.
During the presentation of the report on the floor of the house, the chairman and members of the committee deviated from the real findings.
The House, dissatisfied with the report, constituted a five -member ad-hoc committee headed by Hon. Ipusu to investigate further and uncover the actual situation.
Accordingly, the house suspended the members of the entire committee for three sittings for covering the truth on the misappropriation, abuse of office and closure of the Legislative Chamber by the Otukpo Local Government Chairman to protect him from punishment.
Terver Zamber
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker
Benue State House of Assembly
August 5, 2025.
What you should know
The Benue State House of Assembly’s suspension of five of its members follows claims that they distorted a report to protect Otukpo’s Local Government Chairman from accountability.
The House acted promptly by setting up an independent ad-hoc committee to re-examine the issue, reflecting a commitment to transparency and legislative responsibility. The suspended lawmakers, all part of the standing committee originally assigned to the matter, were believed to have masked critical details related to allegations of corruption and abuse of office against the chairman.
This development underscores the Assembly’s zero-tolerance stance toward internal compromise and efforts to shield public officials from due scrutiny.
