•Approves independent candidacy, extra seats for women in Senate, Reps
…Izunaso hails move as step toward equity, justice
By Nnamdi Ojiego
The South East geopolitical zone is set to get a major political boost as the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has unanimously approved the creation of an additional state in the region, bringing the total number to six.
The decision was reached during a two-day retreat held in Lagos, where the committee reviewed 55 proposals for state creation across the country.
The South East currently has five states, the least among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, most of which have six or seven states.
The session, chaired by Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin and co-chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, deliberated extensively on the long-standing demand for a sixth state in the region.
Kalu, who has consistently championed the cause, said the approval was anchored on equity, justice, and fairness. “This decision addresses an age-long imbalance and gives the South East a fairer representation in the federation,” he noted.
Following deliberations, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved a motion for the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State). The motion received unanimous support and was adopted by the committee.
In addition to approving the new state, the committee also endorsed provisions for independent candidacy in future elections and an additional seat for women in both the Senate and House of Representatives, as part of ongoing constitutional reforms aimed at deepening democracy and inclusion.
The committee further set up a subcommittee to consider the creation of additional states and local government areas nationwide, after receiving 278 proposals on the matter.
Senator Jibrin urged lawmakers to build consensus among their colleagues and across State Houses of Assembly to ensure the resolutions are passed during voting.
“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process,” Jibrin said. “By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders.”
Reacting to the development, Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West) described the decision as “a right step in the right direction,” noting that it would help address long-standing feelings of marginalisation in the South East.
“I feel very elated because what the National Assembly Committee has done today is the right step toward equity, fairness, and justice,” Izunaso said. “With this, most of the agitations about marginalisation will reduce. The South East will now have additional senators, representatives, and local governments, making it a win-win situation for all.”
On the part of the region the extra state would be carved from, Izunaso said: “That is not the issue right now. The issue right now is that the House of Representatives have approved one state for the Southeast. The stakeholders from the region will now go and sit down and bring one viable state, one state that can take care of all the collective interests of the people. And that is it. So I don’t think it’s going to be a problem at all.”
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