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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Hope for the creation of an additional state in the South -East geo-political zone, to bring the zone at par with other zones, except the North -West, which has seven states, soared recently, after the National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review unanimously agreed to a proposal to that effect.
Presently, the South -East is the only zone that has five states. While the South- South, South -West, North- East and North-Central have six states each, the North -West has seven states.
Consequently, this has fueled a long standing demand for the creation of at least one more state in the zone, in the interest of equity.
There is near consensus across the country that the demand of the people of South- East for at least one additional state is meritorious, so as to give the zone a sense of belonging. Pundits say the zone is short-changed politically and economically, as well as development wise as a result of the imbalance in the number of states in the area, in comparison with other zones.
For instance, in the senate while representation is done on the basis of equality of states, the zone is down by three senators, compared to other zones. Similarly, the people of South -East are short-changed in representation at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), job placement especially those done on the basis on federal character.
Former governor of Enugu State, Chief Okweslieze Nwodo, told Daily Sun that the quest that the imbalance in the number of states in the South-East has cost the zone so much in terms of development, political representation and in revenue, noting that the zone has consistently pushed for a redress for a very long time.
Nwodo noted that “As we speak, we are short of one state compared to other zones and short of two states compared to the North- West. And you know the resources that go into a state every month and go into the number of local governments.
“All the local government areas in the South- East are not up to the local government areas in Kano and Kastina put together. Now, you come to representation, we have the smallest number of councilors, because these councilors come from wards in the local governments.
“We have the fewest number of local governments and that tells you how much we get as allocations every month to develop our local government and we have only five states that receives monthly allocations.
“ We have only a fraction of members of the House of Representatives, compared to other zones. So, those have thrown us back”.
Proposals for new states in South- East
There are currently a total of six proposals for the creation of new states from the South- East zone. The proposals include Orashi, to be caved out from the present Anambra, Imo and Rivers states; Anim, to be created from Anambra and Imo State; Orlu to be created from Imo State; Aba, to be created from Abia State; Adada State, to be created from Enugu State and Etiti State to be carved out from the five existing states in the South-East.
Similarly, there have been push for the creation of Anioma State, from Delta State, in the South -South, as the 6th state in the South -East. Anioma, which is the North senatorial zone is made up of Ndigbo in Delta State.
According to the promoters, the creation of Anioma State as the sixth state in the South- East, would enable Ndigbo in Delta State join their kith and kin in the South -East.
The Immediate past President General of pan Igbo Organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, told Daily Sun that most suitable state to be created in the South- East is Etiti, which is expected to be carved out from the five existing states in the South- East , with Okigwe, as the capital.
Ozichukwu explained that a decision had already bee taken to that effect during the political reform conference, noting that “the state have to be within the South- East and from among the states of the South -East and the most suitable state is the Etiti State; because Etiti State is an old province that has not be upgraded to a state up till now. And it includes part of Ebonyi, part of Enugu, part of Anambra, part of Abia and part of Imo, which was the old Okigwe province. So, the Etiti State is at the centre, with its capital in Okigwe.”
In aftermath of the resolution of the National Assembly joint panel to create additional state in the South-East, there have been intrigues and intense horse-trading as promoters of the respective proposals for new states push their case vigorously.
Inside sources told Daily Sun that penultimate week, South- East stakeholders, at a meeting, in Abuja, proposed the merger of the proposed Anim and Anioma states to form Animoma, as the sixth state for the South- East, with the capital in Orlu.
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However, that proposal collapsed soon after, owing to serious push-back from Delta. Some critical stakeholders, including traditional and political elites, have consistently insisted that the proposed Anioma State, if created should remain part of the South- South.
However, the member of the House of Representatives, representing Ideato North/ Ideato South of Imo State, Ikeagwuonu Ugochniyere, in a statement , last week, said the generality of South- East lawmakers have settled for Anim as the “equity state.” Ugochinyere, who had sponsored a bill for the creation Orlu State, said he has dropped his proposals, as the interest of his people would be accommodated in Anim, if created.
Nonetheless, while conversations are still ongoing on a most suitable new state from the South- East that will be presented to the National Assembly, analysts say that for the generality of Ndigbo, the issue is not where the new state is situated in the South -East, but that the zone gets at least an additional state in the ongoing constitution review exercise to address years of political and economical marginalisation. ,
Hurdles to state creation
Nevertheless, the creation of new state in a civilian administration is not a tea party. Apart from the creation of Mid-West Region, in the first Republic, no civilian administration has bee able to create new states, owing to the Herculean nature.
Since the inception of the present democratic dispensation, the country has come close to addressing this imbalance in number of state in the South- East twice. The first was in 2006 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The National Political Reform conference set up by former President Obasanjo had recommended the creation of an additional state in the South-East to bring the zone at par with other zones.
Also, the 2014 National Conference set up by the then President Goodluck Johnathan, recommended the creation of new state to address the agitations for new states, and bring the number of states in the South -East at par with other zones. However, both initiatives failed.
Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stipulates that (1) “An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new State shall only be passed if- (a) a request, supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new State) in each of the following, namely (i) the Senate and the House of Representatives, (ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and (iii) the local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly;
“(b) a proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the state originated; (c) the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the states of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly; and (d) the proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”
Therefore, there are concerns if the 10th National Assembly can surmount the constitutional hurdle for state creation.
But pundits say the hurdles are not insurmountable if the Federal Government, especially President Bola Tinubu is desirous in giving the South-East an additional state, especially as creation of new states would more than anything be defined by politics.
Nwodo is optimistic that the South-East would get the support of other geo-politcal zones for an additional state in the area, stating that the area has always received the support of other parts of the country in their demand for equality of states.
According to him, “ I think that if this country is truly built on fairness and equity, we don’t see why other zones will not support us. In previous constitutional conferences, they have always agreed that a new state should be created in the South-East. In other constitutional conferences other zones have supported that the South-East as a priority needs a new state.”
Like the former Enugu governor, Ozichukwu agrees that a new state for the South-East is realistic, if those at the helm of affairs are determined to get it done. However, the Igbo leader added that in the event that the National Assembly is creating states in other geo-political zones, then the South-East would have to get two new states.
In his words “if they want to increase the number of states, not only that they will create Etiti State, but they have to think of other states within the South-East. If they are increasing the other zones and they give the South-East just one state, they are still expanding the differences. So, if they are creating other states in other zones, it means the South-East should get two states instead of one.”
Pundits say the renewed quest to correct the imbalance in the number of states in the South,-East places a heavy burden on the All-Progressives Congress (APC). They need to do for the South-East, what the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) could not achieve for the zone. Interestingly, there have been an influx of South-East politicians into the APC, hinging their decision on the need to connect the zone to the centre.
Nonetheless, analysts say the actualisation of a new state , for the South-East, requires strategic engagement between the South-East leaders, including political, religious and traditional leaders and the Federal Government, particularly President Tinubu. Not a few believe that whether or not the dream materialises would depend largely on the president’s disposition to it.
Pundits say that if the APC-led federal government is able to grant the South- East their long standing quest for equality of states within the Nigerian polity, it would have scored a big point in the zone. Besides, the creation of the state will be a win -win for the South -East, President Tinubu, the APC and the entire country.
But the big question is would the President Tinubu -led APC administration accede to the South -East plea for equity and justice by granting the people a new state, thereby consolidating its place in the zone in the run up to the 2027 polls?
