- Proposals Did Not Meet Constitutional Requirements – Kalu
- Plans To Create New States Not House Resolution- Reps Spokesperson
- Says We’ll Only Consider Proposals That Comply With Stipulated Guidelines
The proposal and plans to create more states in the country appear to have run into troubled waters if recent developments are anything to go by.
The Matrix reports that the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution announced on Thursday, February 7, 2025, that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Reacting to this, Akin Rotimi, the Spokesperson of the House Of Representatives, disclosed that the proposals for the creation of states are not the resolution of parliament.
This is even as the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu has disclosed that none of the 30 proposals for new states met the requirements of Section 8 of the Constitution.
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In a statement, Rotimi said reports suggesting that the house is seeking to create new states are inaccurate.
“This information is inaccurate and misrepresents the legislative process,” the spokesperson said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, as with all constitutional amendment proposals, these submissions will undergo thorough legislative scrutiny, including public hearings, stakeholder engagements, and multiple levels of approval before any constitutional changes can be effected.”
Rotimi said the committee will “align with constitutional provisions” and only consider proposals that comply with the stipulated guidelines on state creation.
He said the house remains committed to a transparent and inclusive constitutional review process that reflects the will of Nigerians.
Similarly, Kalu, in a statement issued Friday by his media office, clarified that the parliament has not taken a position on the issue.
He explained that to create a new state, the Constitution requires two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, the House of Representatives, state houses of assembly, and local governments.
Kalu said the National Assembly was committed to following the procedure and is inviting the applicants to resubmit their proposals once they’ve complied with the constitutional guidelines.
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He said: “We are the people’s parliament. We are not taking any position on the issue of creation of states. We have heard a lot of people giving different narratives to the letter that was read.
“Let me clear the dust. “During the Ninth Assembly, we received more requests for state creation and some of them came through private member bills. Some came from the memoranda we called for and in this Tenth Assembly, we have received 30, not 31.
“I think, on that list, they repeated Ibadan State twice. It is 30 that we have received.
“As we speak, none of these 30 proposals have met the requirements of Section 8 and that was why we decided to bring it to the notice of Nigerians that your application before us is ineffective.
“Therefore, you need to comply with Section 8 so that when we don’t consider the state creation request, you will know where it emanated from.
“So, the notice to the public is that you have between now and March 5 to enable you cure the gaps in your application for state creation.
