Governors from the South East and federal lawmakers representing the region have reached a consensus on two potential new states to be forwarded for consideration in the ongoing state creation process.
Their decision aims at correcting the long-standing imbalance in the number of states across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
The proposed states are Adada, to be formed from Enugu State and Anim, which would combine areas currently within Anambra and Imo states.
According to Vanguard, a reliable National Assembly source revealed that the agreement was reached late Wednesday after prolonged consultations and negotiations among various interest groups within and outside the South East.
The source also noted that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, is expected to formally address the public soon.
Meanwhile, the Adada State Movement has applauded both the region’s governors and federal lawmakers for adopting Adada as one of the options to be presented to the National Assembly.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Ike Abonyi, the group expressed satisfaction with the progress made, saying the leaders had “appropriately removing some meddlesome interlopers who came to cause confusion in the process.”
The group further appealed to the South East Governors Forum and the National Assembly caucus to remain vigilant and united as the proposal advances through legislative stages.
Abonyi said, “The region must take no actions that could undermine the rectification of a longstanding injustice regarding state creation for the region.”
Previously, the Joint Constitutional Amendment Committee of the National Assembly recommended that one additional state be created in the South East to achieve equality with the other zones.
The committee also advised that each of the six zones should get a new state, meaning two states could emerge from the South East.
For any new state to scale through, proponents must fully comply with the provisions of Section 8(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Part 1 (1)(2) of the Creation of States and Boundary Adjustment (Procedure) Act, CAP C37, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
