THE House of Representatives has rejected the proposals for the creation of 31 new states, citing their failure to meet constitutional requirements.
The chairman of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution amendment, Benjamin Kalu, revealed this on Friday, February 21, while speaking at a retreat for the panel members in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Kalu, the House deputy speaker, noted that while the proposals represented the aspirations of various regions in the country, none of them met the requirements outlined in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, which sets the criteria for state creation.
The ICIR reports that the committee proposed the creation of 31 additional states across Nigeria on February 6.
Kalu detailed the proposed distribution of the new states, with six allocated to the North Central, four to the North-East, five to the North-West, five to the South-East, four to the South-South, and seven to the South-West.
The ICIR explainer highlights the multi-layered process and requirements for creating new states in Nigeria.
New deadline for resubmission
Kalu in his latest update said that the proposals must be re-submitted in full compliance with the Constitution by March 5.
He said “Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment. Therefore, we have since extended the submission date to the 5th of March, 2025”
While noting that the committee was reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills, the deputy speaker added that the committee might consider extending the deadline further, depending on discussions at the retreat.
He said that the 151 constitutional amendment bills the committee was reviewing would address issues of federal structure, power devolution, local government autonomy, revenue allocation, judicial and electoral reforms, security, gender rights, and human rights.
“A proactive, cooperative approach will ensure seamless legislative processes and comprehensive legal reforms,” Kalu said.
As part of the review process, zonal and national public hearings will be held across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with sessions planned to hold in Nasarawa, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos, and Ondo states.
Kalu assured that the review process would be transparent and inclusive, emphasising the need for legislative reforms that reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.