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The people of Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State have rejected the proposed Orlu State, as presently being considered by the House of Representatives through a bill sponsored by Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, insisting on the creation of Etiti State to be carved out from the five states of the South East as agreed by delegates to the 2005 and 2014 national Confabs.
The rejection of the proposed Orlu State in the bill which has already passed first reading in the House of Representatives was contained in a statement signed by the President General of Isuochi Development Union, Chief Ochiabuto Orji and the Secretary, Victor Nnamzuoke.
The statement said while the people of Isuochi support the creation of an additional state for the South East to bring it at par with other zones, they reject the proposed Orlu State, because it is against the aspirations of the people of the South East who had agreed at the previous national confabs organised by Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, that any additional state for the South East would be carved out from the five state of the South East.
“Thankfully, the issue of the creation of an additional state for the South East had been settled by delegates from the South East at the Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan’s national confabs.
“The delegates from the South East had settled for the creation of an Equity or Etiti State to be carved out as follows: Awgu and Oji Rivers in Enugu State, Aninri and Ivo in Ebonyi State, Isuikwuato and Umunneochi in Abia State, Okigwe and Mbano in Imo State, Orumba North and Orumba South in Anambra State.”
It said the people were against the balkanisation of Isuochi as the bill included Umuaku, a town in Isuochi for inclusion in the proposed Orlu State.
“Isuochi will not cede any portion of its territory to another state, as the bill is set to balkanize Isuochi by taking away Umuaku, one of the nine towns that make up Isuochi, to the proposed Orlu State and leaving the other eight towns of Isuochi in Abia State; nor do we want to be a part of the proposed Orlu State.”
The statement condemned the desperation of some politicians who pursue a self-serving agenda by trying to foist the Orlu State on the South East and also deviating from the decisions of Igbo leaders, without considerations and consultations with other stakeholders.
“We are deeply concerned that the current attempt to hurriedly foist an untenable Orlu State on the good people of the South East would bastardise the recommendations of the two well-meaning confabs and cause disaffection among the people of the South East instead of soothing frayed nerves. We condemn the actions of some political leaders from the South East who deviate from the aggregated opinion of the delegates to the previous confabs and pursue a self-serving agenda without considerations and consultations with leaders of the zone.”
It added that the proposed Orlu State never received a mention during the national confabs and urged members of the House of Representatives to expunge the section that seeks to create Orlu State and replace it with Etiti State.
“We call on well-meaning people of the South East, especially our representatives in the National Assembly, the South East intelligentsia, political elites, and members of civil society organisations, to urge the National Assembly to expunge the section of the bill that seeks to create an “Orlu State” from the three states of the South East and replace it with “Etiti State,” to be carved out from local government areas from the five states of the South East as proposed and agreed by the delegates from the South East in the 2005 and 2014 national conferences.”
