South East State Creation Advocates to Defend Requests Before NASS – Kalu

By Oluwakemi Kindness

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, says advocates of new state creation in Nigeria’s South East will soon present and defend their requests before members of the National Assembly.

Kalu made this known when he received leaders of the Aba State Movement from the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc of Abia State, led by the state’s pioneer Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Theo Nkire, during a courtesy visit in Abuja.

In a statement on Wednesday by his chief press secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the Deputy Speaker disclosed that the National Assembly would invite all groups seeking state creation to present their cases publicly.

“You are going to be called upon to defend your request. Beyond the historical analysis are the economics of the project. Can it compete? Will it be sustainable?” Kalu stated.

He announced plans for a public hearing in early November, where South East stakeholders would make presentations with data on population, economic viability, and geographical feasibility.

Kalu emphasized that the Joint Constitution Review Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives had, over the weekend, approved the creation of an additional state in the South East, a move driven by equity, justice, and fairness.

The Aba State delegation includes Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Austin Akobundu, Nkechi Nwogu, and Chris Nkwonta, among others.

In his presentation, Theo Nkire traced the agitation for Aba State to 1954, noting that the idea gained national attention through a presentation to the Willink Minority Commission of 1957.

He said the proposed state, comprising Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Aba North, Aba South, Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East, and Ukwa West LGAs, remains economically viable and socially cohesive, bound by shared ancestry, enterprise, and geography.

Nkire recalled that Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, endorsed Aba State in 2018, while earlier approvals came from the 1983 National Assembly resolution and the 2014 National Conference, which both supported the creation of the state.

“The creation of Aba State is not just a political demand but a long-overdue rectification of neglect — a moral and strategic step toward equity, inclusion, and balanced national growth,” Nkire said.