The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has revealed that none of the 31 requests for the creation of new states in Nigeria have met the constitutional requirements necessary for consideration.
Kalu, who also serves as the chair of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made this announcement on Friday during a two-day retreat for committee members held in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.
The retreat, which is taking place from February 20 to 23, 2025, focuses on reviewing ongoing amendment bills and planning the next steps in the constitutional review process.
The event is jointly organized by the 10th House of Representatives in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
Kalu acknowledged that the requests for new states reflect the aspirations of various communities across the country but emphasized that none of these petitions met the legal conditions set out in the Nigerian Constitution. He noted that although 31 requests have been submitted, none fulfilled the necessary criteria for state creation.
To allow communities the opportunity to revise their submissions and meet the required standards, Kalu announced that the submission deadline has been extended to March 5, 2025. He added that this deadline could be further extended based on the outcomes of the retreat.
In addition to state creation requests, Kalu highlighted that the House Committee is currently reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills aimed at addressing various governance challenges in Nigeria. Some of these bills have already passed the second reading, while others are still in the early stages of review.
“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment,” Kalu stated.
” Some of the bills have passed the second reading, while others are still at the first stage,” he added.
