Attorney Calls Out Rowdy Procedures In Adada, Orlu, Etiti, Anioma

Attorney Calls Out Rowdy Procedures In Adada, Orlu, Etiti, Anioma....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The demand for new states in Nigeria’s South East region is gaining momentum. Proposals for the creation of Adada, Orlu, Etiti, and Anioma states have been submitted in various bills in the Senate and House of Representatives. If successful, these additions would bring the number of states in the South East to match the five states in five of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.

Currently, the South East consists of Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra, and Abia. Several legislators from the region have championed the creation of new states, either individually or collectively.

Lawyer Kelechi Anwu commented on the process, acknowledging the legitimacy of the demand but describing the procedure as “rowdy.”

In the Senate, Senator Ned Nwoko from Delta North (APC) introduced a bill for the creation of Anioma State, which has passed its first reading. Nwoko argues that this bill addresses historical issues and imbalances. He stated on his X handle, “The creation of Anioma state is both urgent and compelling. This proposal addresses the longstanding imbalance in the geopolitical distribution of states in Nigeria. The South East geopolitical zone currently has five states, unlike its counterparts, except for the North West, which has seven states.”

Senator Nwoko’s Anioma State bill followed Honourable Imo Ugochinyere’s bill for the creation of Orlu State, which has also passed the first reading in the House of Representatives. Ugochinyere emphasized that the South East should have the same number of states as other regions.

On July 2, Senator Okey Ezea from Enugu North (Labour Party) introduced a bill for the creation of Adada State, which passed the first reading in the Senate. Ezea remarked, “Today (July 2), my bill for the creation of Adada State passed through the first reading on the floor of the Nigerian Senate. Although there have been proposals for the creation of other states out of the geopolitical zone over the years, none has been as acceptable and as qualified as Adada.”

The same day, a bill from five members of the House of Representatives seeking the creation of Etiti State also passed the first reading. The lawmakers—Amobi Ogah (Labour Party), Miriam Onuoha (APC), Kama Nkekama (Labour Party), Nnabuife Clara Chinwe (Young Progressives Party), and Anayo Onwuegbu (PDP)—propose that Etiti State will have its capital in Lokpanta, currently in Abia State, and will be created from parts of Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Imo, and Anambra.

**Feasibility of New States**

Kelechi Anwu of Anwu & Associates in Abuja noted that while the call for a new state in the South East is legitimate, the approach taken by lawmakers is disorganized. He stated, “The call for the creation of an additional state in the South East is legitimate, but the procedure and process are rowdy, which is the first factor that will compromise the quest.”

Anwu expressed skepticism about the feasibility of creating a new state under the current national leadership and with the present National Assembly. “First, it will almost be impossible to create a new state under the national leadership that we have. The kind of National Assembly that is in place. The Southern lawmakers do not have the number to organize such constitutional alteration. Any alteration in the constitution will require the vote of 2/3 majority of the combined national assembly,” he said.

Anwu also pointed out that the simultaneous demand for Adada, Anioma, Orlu, and Etiti states appears more political than practical. “Seeking four different states at the same time makes the process unorganized, and it is becoming more political than anything,” he added.

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