Has Senate Finally Created 12 New States? Akpabio Opens Up

• Senate President Godswill Akpabio officially denied reports making the rounds on social media that it has approved the creation of 12 new states across the country
• Speaking on the floor of the senate on Tuesday, July 22, under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central ) dismissed the report as fake
• Akpabio corroborated Ningi, stating emphatically that the senate has not taken any decision on state creation

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering elections, politics, and governance in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja - Godswill Obot Akpabio, Nigeria's senate president, on Tuesday, July 22, dismissed the report that the upper legislative chamber approved the creation of 12 new states in the country.

Speaking during plenary, Akpabio, the senator representing Akwa Ibom north-west district, stressed that the senate "has not even concluded the processes of getting the final report for deliberation".

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Fake news on state creation

His words:

"I hope that the way Africans use social media will not break society; that is my only hope. You see, even for appointments to be made, they will go and create fake letterhead paper and write that the person has rejected the appointment."

Akpabio added:

"No single state, proposed or otherwise, has been created. Even if that were to be the case, it would involve all the houses of assemblies in the country. And we must get their two-third concurrence before anything can come back to us. And the two chambers, the house of representatives and senate must also be involved."

Speaking further, Akpabio said although there are proposals for state creation, "not one has reached a stage where we can even say we have finished zonal or national deliberation and then transmitted to state houses of assembly, and then brought back to the national assembly for deliberations."

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The former Akwa Ibom state governor noted that the processes of making amendments to the Nigerian constitution are "very stringent."

He concluded:

"So please, the public should be aware, as raised by Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningit, that no state has been created by this August assembly. And every report to that effect in the social media is fake."

Akpabio's video can be watched below:

Legit.ng reports that in Nigeria, senators' core duties revolve around representing their constituents, making laws, and holding the executive branch accountable. They are part of the national assembly, a bicameral legislature, and work to ensure the "peace, order, and good governance" of the federation.

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NASS denies passing bill to create 31 new states

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the national assembly (NASS) denied the report that it had approved the creation of 31 new states in Nigeria.

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Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu clarified that state creation is not solely within the Senate’s power and must undergo several constitutional amendment stages.

Adaramodu's comment was a response to a viral message on WhatsApp, which claimed that the senate had passed the bill to create 31 new states across the country.

Source: Legit.ng