Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has stated that none of the 30 proposals for new states have met the constitutional requirements outlined in Section 8 of the Nigerian Constitution.
In a statement issued on Friday by his media office, Kalu clarified that the National Assembly has not taken any position on the issue of state creation but remains committed to following due process.
He explained that the Constitution mandates a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, House of Representatives, state houses of assembly, and local government councils before any new state can be created.
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“We are the people’s parliament. We are not taking any position on the issue of state creation. We have heard different narratives regarding the letter that was read, but let me clear the air,” Kalu said.
He noted that while the Ninth Assembly received multiple requests for state creation, including some through private member bills and memoranda, the Tenth Assembly has so far received 30 proposals—not 31, as previously reported.
“I think, on that list, they repeated Ibadan State twice. It is 30 that we have received,” he clarified.
The deputy speaker emphasized that none of the submitted proposals met the constitutional criteria, prompting the committee to notify the public.
“As we speak, none of these 30 proposals have met the requirements of Section 8. That is why we decided to bring it to the notice of Nigerians that your applications before us are ineffective.
“Therefore, you need to comply with Section 8 so that when we do not consider the state creation requests, you will know the reason,” he stated.
Kalu urged applicants to address the deficiencies in their submissions, giving them until March 5 to ensure compliance with constitutional guidelines.
“The notice to the public is that you have between now and March 5 to cure the gaps in your application for state creation,” he said.
The National Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to upholding constitutional provisions in handling requests for new states.
