Benjamin Kalu, South East Lawmakers Set to Meet Stakeholders on New State Creation

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, and lawmakers from the South East are set to meet with key stakeholders in the region on November 14 to deliberate on the demand for the creation of an additional state.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the meeting is part of ongoing consultations aimed at achieving consensus among South East leaders on proposals for new state creation.

Kalu said the consultative session would bring together governors, ministers, members of the National Assembly, speakers and deputy speakers of state Houses of Assembly, as well as heads of federal agencies from the South East.

He explained that the gathering would give proponents of state creation in the region an opportunity to present their cases and allow stakeholders to harmonize their positions ahead of parliamentary consideration.

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review recently approved the creation of an additional state in the South East to ensure parity with other geopolitical zones.

Kalu revealed that this followed a meeting between him and the South East caucus in the Senate, chaired by Senator Osita Isunaso, where lawmakers from the region resolved to pursue a unified position before submitting it for debate and voting at the National Assembly.

He added that a similar meeting had earlier been held in the House of Representatives, with members agreeing to expand the engagement to include senators and other regional leaders for a collective stance.

If successful, the move could end decades of agitation in the South East, which currently has five states, compared to six in most other geopolitical zones and seven in the North-West.