Senate President Godswill Akpabio has clarified the Senate’s position on the growing agitation for the creation of additional states in the country.
Dockaysworld reports that the Senate President has affirmed that no new state has received approval and that none of the proposals have progressed through the complete legislative procedure.
He made this known during Tuesday’s plenary session in response to concerns raised by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), who drew attention to widespread misinformation suggesting that the National Assembly had endorsed the creation of new states.
Akpabio stated that the Constitution Review Committee had received over 42 requests from various geopolitical zones, but none had fulfilled the rigorous constitutional conditions required for state creation.
“I have seen over 42 proposals, but not one has gone through full deliberation,” he said. “The process of creating a state is very rigorous and has not been completed in any instance.”
He cautioned against public mobilisation, fundraising, or meetings in anticipation of states that are yet to be legally recognised.
Currently, a total of 46 proposals have been submitted to the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, with demand for new states coming from all six geopolitical zones. These include Anioma, Orlu, Orashi, Etiti, Aba, and Adada from the South-East; Atlantic City, Warri, Toru-Ebe, Bori, Obolo, and Ogoja from the South-South; Ijebu, Ibadan, Oke-Ogun, Igbomina, Ife-Ijesha, and Remo from the South-West; Edu, Okun, Ifesowapo, Okura, Apa, Ayatutu, New Kogi, Abuja, and South Plateau from the North Central; Gurara, Tiga, Hadejia, Gobir, Ghari, New Kaduna, and Kainji from the North-West; and Savannah, Muri, Katagum, Amana, and Sardauna from the North-East.
It is important to note that despite rising agitation, no new state has been created in Nigeria since 1996, when six states—Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Zamfara—were established, bringing the total number to 36.
Under Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the process of creating a new state requires multiple layers of approval, including a referendum supported by the majority of people in the affected area, approval from two-thirds of members in both the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly, and presidential assent.
