The Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Alfred Aondonaaver Emberga, has ordered the redeployment of the Assembly Clerk, John T. Hwande, to the Benue State House of Assembly Service Commission.
A letter dated the 26th of August, 2025, confirmed Hwande’s appointment as the substantive Secretary of the Commission, with effect from the 1st of September, 2025.
The directive also mandated him to hand over to an acting Clerk, to be named by the House, no later than the 31st of August, 2025.
In the same letter, the acting Secretary of the Assembly Service Commission, Mr. David Ochapa, was recalled and asked to resume at the Assembly for reassignment on or before the 1st of September, 2025.
Copies of the directive were forwarded to the Permanent Secretary, Government House Administration; Chairman of the Assembly Service Commission; Accountant-General; and Auditor-General of the state for follow-up.
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While the decision is being viewed as part of ongoing restructuring efforts within the Assembly Service Commission, it has also triggered debate.
Some legal experts have questioned the legality of the Speaker’s action.
Public affairs analyst, Gurgur Japheth, openly criticized the process, stressing that “The Clerk of the State Assembly is appointed by the State Assembly Service Commission (SASC). The State Assembly Service Commission, rather than the Speaker, is responsible for decisions regarding the Clerk. Therefore, the ‘redeployment’ should have been approved and communicated by the Commission, not the Speaker. That is the procedure.”