No State Creation Request Meets Constitutional Requirements – Deputy Speaker Kalu

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has stated that none of the 31 submitted requests for state creation met the constitutional requirements.

Kalu made this revelation on Friday, February 21, during a two-day retreat for committee members in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. The retreat, held from February 20 to 23, 2025, brought lawmakers together to review pending constitutional amendment bills and plan the next steps.

Organized by the 10th House of Representatives in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the event focused on key governance issues, including state creation.

While acknowledging the importance of state creation in Nigeria’s governance structure, Kalu noted that although the requests reflected the aspirations of various communities, they did not fulfill the legal criteria required for consideration.

“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment,” Kalu stated.

In response, the committee extended the submission deadline to March 5, 2025, to allow for additional input and possible revisions. Kalu also noted that the deadline could be further extended, depending on the retreat’s outcomes.

“We have since extended the submission date to the 5th of March, 2025. But this retreat could in our resolution extend it further if we find out that there are still challenges that the people we represent face in their efforts to make their voices heard,” he said.

“So, at the end of this retreat, it will be one of the things we will look into—whether or not we will extend the time. But let it be a notice that none of the applications followed the conditions laid out by Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Kalu further revealed that the House Committee is currently examining 151 constitutional amendment bills aimed at improving governance in Nigeria. While some of these bills have advanced to the second reading, others remain in the preliminary stages.