Breaking: House Of Reps Drops Fresh Update On Creation Of New States

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has clarified that the parliament has not reached any decision regarding the proposals for the creation of new states.

In a statement released by his media office on Friday, Kalu revealed that none of the 30 submitted proposals meet the criteria outlined in Section 8 of the Nigerian Constitution. He urged applicants to revise and resubmit their proposals in line with constitutional requirements.

Kalu explained that for a new state to be created, the Constitution mandates a two-thirds majority approval from the Senate, the House of Representatives, state assemblies, and local governments.

“We are the people’s parliament, and we have not taken a definitive stance on the creation of new states,” Kalu stated. “There have been various interpretations of the letter read on this matter, but let me set the record straight.

“During the Ninth Assembly, we received several requests for state creation, some through private member bills and others via submitted memoranda. In this Tenth Assembly, we’ve received 30 proposals—not 31, as mistakenly reported. Ibadan State was listed twice, so the actual number is 30.

“As of now, none of these proposals have fulfilled the requirements of Section 8 of the Constitution. That’s why we felt it necessary to inform Nigerians that the current applications are not valid.

“Applicants need to adhere to Section 8 so that, if their requests for state creation are not considered, they will understand the constitutional reasons behind it.”