Senate makes progress on creation of new state

A bill proposing the creation of a sixth state in the South-East has passed its second reading at the Senate.

The bill, which is now with the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review, aims to address the imbalance in the number of states across the country’s geopolitical zones.

Senator Osita Izunaso, who represents Imo West, shared this update during a media chat in Abuja as he marked two years in office.

He explained that the new state, which could be named ANIM State, would be created from parts of Imo and Anambra States.

He said the plan was not about gaining special treatment but about correcting what he called a structural imbalance.

The South-East currently has only five states, unlike most other regions in Nigeria which each have six, with the North-West having seven.

The senator noted that the difference places the South-East at a disadvantage in national affairs.

He insisted that the state creation process would follow legal steps, including a referendum, and would not be forced on the people.

During the same event, Senator Izunaso also urged the Federal Government to resolve the ongoing case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, through political means.

Kanu is currently facing terrorism-related charges, and his trial was recently moved to the Department of State Services headquarters for inspection of a shipping container reportedly used to bring in a radio transmitter for IPOB’s Radio Biafra.

Izunaso argued that granting Kanu conditional bail could calm tensions and reduce violence in the South-East, where insecurity and agitation remain serious issues.

He said that the release of Kanu would strip criminal groups of any political excuse for their actions.