The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has endorsed the creation of an additional state in Nigeria’s South-East region — a landmark decision aimed at addressing long-standing concerns of marginalization and imbalance in the country’s geopolitical structure.
The resolution was reached on Saturday at the end of a two-day retreat in Lagos, where lawmakers reviewed over 55 proposals for state creation across Nigeria.
A statement issued by the committee’s media unit confirmed that the decision followed exhaustive deliberations led by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who chairs the committee, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who serves as co-chairman.
The lawmakers agreed that creating one more state in the South-East would promote fairness, equity, and national cohesion. “In the spirit of fairness and equity, the Federal Government should create an additional state in the South-East,” the committee declared.
Benjamin Kalu, who has been one of the strongest advocates of the move, emphasized that the new state would help correct decades of structural imbalance and give the region “a renewed sense of belonging within the Nigerian federation.”
“When created, the South-East will finally be at par with other zones such as the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East, which each have six states,” Kalu said.
Currently, the South-East remains the only geopolitical zone with five states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo — a situation many stakeholders have repeatedly described as politically disadvantageous.
The North-West remains the largest with seven states — Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara — underscoring the uneven distribution of states across the country.
According to the statement, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved the motion for the creation of a new state in the South-East, which was immediately seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, Ogun State).
“The motion received unanimous support from committee members and was subsequently adopted,” the statement added.
The committee also resolved to establish a special sub-committee tasked with reviewing the broader issue of state and local government creation across all six geopolitical zones.
It disclosed that a total of 278 proposals for new states and local government areas were submitted for consideration, highlighting the growing demand for administrative restructuring nationwide.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin commended the bipartisan support that trailed the motion, urging members to sustain the momentum by engaging their colleagues both in the National Assembly and in state Houses of Assembly.
“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process,” Jibrin said. “By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders from both chambers and the state legislatures.”
He stressed that the success of the proposal would depend largely on national consensus and cooperation, urging lawmakers to avoid politicizing the issue.
“This is about fairness, not politics. Every part of Nigeria deserves equal representation in the federal structure,” he added.
Lawmakers at the retreat were said to have applauded the move, describing it as a step toward correcting years of perceived neglect and marginalization of the South-East zone.
Several members also noted that the decision could enhance unity and reduce secessionist agitations by addressing one of the core grievances of the region — political exclusion.
Stakeholders from the South-East have long argued that the absence of a sixth state has deprived the zone of equal representation in the National Council of States, the Senate, and other federal appointments that are shared based on state count.
The approval by the Constitution Review Committee marks a significant milestone, but it remains subject to further legislative procedures, including a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of the National Assembly and ratification by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly.
Political observers say the proposal, if actualized, will alter Nigeria’s internal balance and could spark renewed calls for more states in other regions.
Nonetheless, the committee maintained that the decision was taken in the interest of equity and national stability, not regional favoritism.
The retreat also examined related constitutional issues such as fiscal federalism, local government autonomy, and revenue allocation, with lawmakers agreeing to review these areas in the next phase of the constitution amendment process.
Kalu, in his closing remarks, expressed optimism that the creation of a new state in the South-East would mark a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
“This is more than just a constitutional issue — it is a moral and historical responsibility,” he said. “We must build a federation where no region feels shortchanged or left behind.”
The National Assembly Committee is expected to submit its final report to both chambers before the end of the current legislative session, after which the matter will proceed to voting and eventual constitutional amendment.
If approved, the new state will be the first to be created in Nigeria since 1996, when former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, established Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Zamfara States.
