Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti has firmly stated that Nigeria does not need additional states, arguing that most existing ones lack economic viability.
However, he made an exception for the Southeast geopolitical zone, which currently has only five states compared to six or seven in other zones.
Otti’s position came through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, clarifying his stance after facing criticism for voting against state creation at the Constitution review meeting for Imo and Abia states in Owerri.
“The attention of the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has been drawn to a mischievous and diversionary post being widely circulated in the media, giving the false impression that Governor Otti is opposed to the ‘creation of additional States in the South East,'” the statement read.
The governor maintained his long-held view that Nigeria’s current structure is unsustainable. “Governor Otti’s position over the years on the creation of additional states in Nigeria hasn’t changed and will not change. His position is that the country doesn’t require additional States, especially when most of the already existing states lack the viability for economic self-sustainability,” the statement explained.
However, Otti acknowledged the Southeast’s underrepresentation. “Since at the moment one geopolitical zone in the North has as much as 7 States, while others have six each, except the South East, which has 5, there could be an additional State for the South East to balance the disequilibrium, but not the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones.”
The governor warned that creating more states without economic foundations would be counterproductive. “Creating additional States in Nigeria when the economic super-structure that should sustain the already existing but troubled ones hasn’t been laid, is akin to intentionally laying the foundation for further division and dichotomy that could impact our body polity negatively.”
Otti cited historical examples of effective regional governance, noting that iconic leaders like M.I. Okpara and Sam Mbakwe achieved remarkable development without state proliferation. He urged stakeholders to prioritize national interest over political expediency in the constitutional review process.
