Top ADC Chieftain Mentions 1 State That Should Be Created in Southeast
- ADC chieftain and members of the coalition movement, Kenneth Okonkwo, has disclosed that the new state southeast should unanimously agitate for
- Okonkwo's comment came days after the national assembly unanimously agreed that a new state should be created in the southeast
- He also cited the revenue sharing formula as the major reason for the agitation of a new state, a new local government
Kenneth Okonkwo, a lawyer and member of the coalition movement that recently adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has urged the stakeholders in the southeast to narrow their new state agenda to only Adada.
Okonkwo, who was a major supporter of Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, made the call while speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Monday morning, October 27, adding that the creation of "a state in the South East is a long-overdue act of fairness, equity, and justice."
Source: Twitter
NASS approves creation of new southeast state
The ADC chieftain's comment came days after the joint committee of the two chambers of the National Assembly unanimously approved the creation of a new state in the region, while its proponents in the national assembly have cited similar reasons.
Currently, while four of the six regions in Nigeria have six states each, which are Southwest, South-South, Northeast and North-Central, the northwest has seven states, and only the southeast has five states, which is the lowest.
Since January 2025, the National Assembly has commenced constitutional review, in which new state creation has been at the centre of the discussion. The development is expected to end in December 2025, according to the committee chairman and the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
Okonkwo advocates the creation of Adada state
Reacting to the unanimous approval for the creation of a new state in the region, Okonkwo suggested Adada state, adding that its capital should be Nsukka, adding that it was the place where Nnamdi Azikiwe lived all his life.
He statement reads in part:
"The South East should take this opportunity to adopt a consolidated, peaceful approach to selecting one state among themselves—specifically, Adada State, with its capital in Nsukka."
Okonkwo also spoke about the reason for the agitation of a new state in Nigeria, adding that the revenue-sharing formula was the cause of the agitation. He recalled that before the military intervention, the sharing formula was based on productivity and not consumption as it is today.
He recalled that during the parliamentary era, the north had only one region, and there was no agitation because the sharing formula was based on productivity. However, when Nigeria was changed to a presidential system, the sharing formula became how much you produce, where population and land are being put into consideration in the sharing of the revenue.
See the video of his interview here:
How to create new state in Nigeria
Legit.ng earlier reported that the National Assembly, from January 2025, commenced the amendment of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
State creation was one standout in the constitutional review, with much agitation from the southwest and southeast.
However, the creation of a new state in Nigeria is a rigorous exercise that requires legislative backing from the National Assembly to the local government level, as well as a referendum.
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Source: Legit.ng
