South East Governors, Lawmakers Endorse Two Proposed States — Adada and Anim

Governors of the five South East states, together with National Assembly members from the region, have formally recommended two proposed states — Adada and Anim — for consideration as the next states to be created in the zone. The move aims to bring the South East in line with other geopolitical regions in terms of the number of states.

Under the proposal, Adada State would be carved out of Enugu State, while Anim State would be created from parts of Anambra and Imo states.

A National Assembly source told Opinion Nigeria that the decision was reached late Wednesday after extensive negotiations among various state creation advocacy groups in the South East and beyond. According to the source, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, is expected to make an official announcement soon.

The Adada State Movement has applauded the endorsement, describing it as a significant step forward. In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Ike Abonyi, the group commended the leaders for “appropriately removing some meddlesome interlopers who came to cause confusion in the process.”

The movement also urged both the South East Governors Forum and the region’s caucus in the National Assembly to remain vigilant and united as the recommendation progresses through the federal legislative process.

“The region must take no actions that could undermine the rectification of a longstanding injustice regarding state creation for the region,” Abonyi stated.

Earlier, the Joint Constitutional Amendment Committee of the National Assembly recommended creating one additional state for the South East to ensure parity with other zones. The committee further proposed the creation of one new state in each of the six geopolitical regions — effectively giving the South East two new states under the national arrangement.

For any proposed state to advance through the National Assembly, it must satisfy the conditions laid out in 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.

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