The house of representatives committee on constitutional amendment has rejected all 31 proposals for state creation, citing failure to meet constitutional requirements.
The house received proposals for the creation of 31 new states on February 6, 2025.
Speaking on Friday at a retreat for panel members in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house and chairman of the committee, said while the proposals reflected the aspirations of various regions, none adhered to the provisions of Section 8 of the 1999 constitution, which outlines the criteria for state creation.
The aforementioned section stipulates the constitutional requirements for state creation.
The state creation proposals were deemed unviable from the start, as none complied with the constitutional procedures required to advance to the next stage, The Cable reports.
‘NO REQUIREMENT MET CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS’
Speaking at the retreat, Kalu deputy speaker said the proposals should be re-submitted in “strict adherence” to the constitution no later than March 5.
“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,” he said.
He added that the committee might consider further extending the deadline, depending on discussions at the retreat.
“So, at the end of this retreat, it will be one of the things we will look into, whether or not we will extend the time,” he said.
“But let it be a notice that none of the applications followed the conditions laid out by section 8 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The deputy speaker said the committee is currently reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills.
He noted that the committee is currently reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills covering issues such as 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.
Kalu added that the committee has scheduled zonal and national public hearings across the six geopolitical zones on the constitutional amendment bills.
