Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s close ally Magomed Daudov announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as speaker of the North Caucasus republic’s legislative assembly, a post he held for nearly nine years. “After consulting with the head of the republic of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, I decided to resign as Speaker of the Chechen Parliament,” Daudov told regional lawmakers. He did not provide further details about his resignation. Daudov’s abrupt departure follows media reports claiming that Kadyrov has been living with a potentially fatal illness for more than five years. It also comes amid an ong…