By Peter Dansu The long-standing demand for an additional state in Nigeria’s South East region got a major boost yesterday as the National...
By Peter Dansu
The long-standing demand for an additional state in Nigeria’s South East region got a major boost yesterday as the National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review gave its approval.
The South East currently has five states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo—making it the only region in the country with fewer than six states. The endorsement, which aims to bring parity among the six geopolitical zones, came during a two-day retreat in Lagos where lawmakers reviewed various constitutional amendment proposals, including 55 requests for new states across the country.
The session was chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu. Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved the motion for the creation of the new state, and Representative Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State) seconded it. The motion received unanimous support from committee members.
A subcommittee was subsequently set up to consider all pending requests for the creation of additional states and local government areas. The subcommittee is made up of one senator and one representative from each state.
Apart from endorsing the new South East state, the committee also approved independent candidacy for all elections and proposed an additional seat for women in both chambers of the National Assembly to boost female representation.
Speaking at the retreat, Deputy Senate President Jibrin urged lawmakers to mobilize support among their colleagues in both the National Assembly and the state assemblies to ensure smooth passage of the resolutions during voting.
“We need to strengthen what we’ve started so that every part of the country can buy into this process,” Jibrin said. “By the time we get to the actual voting, all stakeholders—from both chambers and the State Houses of Assembly—should already be on board.”
Jibrin also revealed that the National Assembly had received 55 requests for new states and 278 for additional local government areas across the country. He emphasized the importance of concluding the first batch of constitutional amendments before the end of the year.
Over the past two years, the committee has held public hearings, town halls, and consultations with various groups, resulting in 69 amendment bills, 55 state creation requests, and 278 proposals for new local councils.
He urged members to approach the exercise with patriotism and fairness. “There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them.’ We must be guided by the national interest,” he said.
Lawmakers from the South East, including Deputy Speaker Kalu, have consistently argued that creating another state in the region is a matter of equity and justice.
Reacting to the development, Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West) described the endorsement as “a welcome development that will strengthen national unity and bring long-overdue balance to the federation.”
“This is something we have been pushing for many years,” Izunaso said. “The South East is the only region with five states, while others have at least six. This move will not only ensure fairness but will also promote unity and give the region a stronger voice.”
He explained that the new state would increase the South East’s representation in the National Assembly—from 15 to 18 senators—and create more federal constituencies and local governments, which would in turn attract more revenue and development to the region.
“This will help calm nerves and reduce agitations in the South East,” he added. “Once this is achieved, the region will feel a greater sense of belonging.”
Izunaso said the decision was reached after extensive persuasion and appeals to other members’ sense of fairness. “We didn’t oppose other state creation requests. We simply said, let’s first equalize the number of states per zone. After that, others can be considered based on merit,” he said.
On the approval of additional seats for women, Izunaso noted that the idea was to improve gender representation in the legislature. “We currently have only about four women in the Senate—less than five percent. If this goes through, it could rise to 10 percent or more,” he said.
He acknowledged, however, that implementation details would still need to be worked out once the proposal returns to the floor of both chambers.
With this endorsement, the National Assembly has signaled a historic step toward correcting one of the country’s long-standing regional imbalances—and potentially reshaping Nigeria’s political landscape.
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