Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Okezie, has clarified the stance of the parliament on the creation of new states, stating that it’s not taking a position on the issue.
He said that it is ultimately in the place of the Nigerian people to push their proposals through and take an informed decision on the contemporary issue of state creation.
Speaking during an interview Friday morning in Abuja, Kalu, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Constitution Review, said that the 30 proposals for state creation read during the Thursday plenary session of the House were to inform Nigerians about the number of applications so far received.
The Deputy Speaker also said that the applications are 30 and not 31 as erroneously reported.
Kalu, however, said that none of the 30 proposals for new states met the constitutional requirements.
He therefore urged the applicants to comply with the constitutional procedures outlined in Section 8, subsections 1 to 3 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), informing them that the Parliament is giving the applicants until March 5 to rectify the gaps in their applications.
To create a new state, the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, the House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, and local governments.
Kalu said that Parliament is committed to following the procedure and is inviting the applicants to resubmit their proposals once they’ve complied with the constitutional guidelines.
He said, “We are the people’s parliament. We are not taking any position on the issue of creation of states. We have heard a lot of people giving different narratives to the letter that was read. Let me clear the dust.
“During the Ninth Assembly, we received more requests for state creation, and some of them came through private member bills. Some came from the memoranda we called for, and in this Tenth Assembly, we have received 30, not 31. I think, on that list, they repeated Ibadan State twice. It is 30 that we have received.
“But having received that, in the last assembly, people did not know why their request for state creation did not go through. In this Tenth Assembly, we decided to let the people know that, granted, we have received all the applications for new states to be created either through member bill or the memoranda, but not conceding that all of them are good enough to be created.
“There are constitutional procedures in section 8, subsections 1 to 3, on how this application should be made. As we speak, none of these 30 proposals have met the requirements of section 8, and that was why we decided to bring it to the notice of Nigerians that your application before us is ineffective.
“Therefore, you need to comply with section 8 so that when we don’t consider the state creation request, you will know where it emanated from. So, the notice to the public is that you have between now and March 5 to enable you to cure the gaps in your application for state creation.
“And if you go to section 8, you will see two-thirds, the majority of the Senate, that of the House of Representatives, the State Houses of Assembly, as well as the local government councils. So, let’s follow that procedure and then present these applications again. We are going to the newspapers to place public announcements so that those who want new states to be created should follow the guidelines as laid down by the constitutional provisions.
“We are giving them one month, which is about March 5, to cure the gaps in the applications. The applications as they are will not be able to fly because we are strict with complying with the dictates of the provisions of the constitution. They should fill in the gaps and bring it back before March 5.
“There is no alternative to compliance with the provisions of the Constitution. The position of the Constitution is sacrosanct. It’s our grundnorm. If it says you have to follow certain procedures in line with the rule of law and observing its supremacy, you have to comply with the provision of the Constitution. Those who are desirous of state creation should comply with the procedures laid down in the Constitution and bring it back. There is a window we have created, which is one month. It is sufficient enough for people to cure the gaps in their applications, and we will reconsider it.”
Kalu also said the deluge of requests for state creation may have emanated from the people’s desire to enjoy more dividends of democracy.
“I think it reflects the desire to enjoy the dividends of democracy. People want the dividends of democracy to trickle down from the grassroots, and they feel in their minds that the best approach is to have their own state. So, if you watch the space closely, you will see the President has been very intentional in creating development commissions across the country. So, beyond the feeling of marginalisation is a desire to have the dividends of democracy felt at the grassroots more than before, and the instrument of state creation for some people is what they believe will be used as a tool to achieve that.
“That’s what many Nigerians believe. The more states you create, the more they will have access to dividends of democracy. Whether that is true or not, it is not for me to judge because you know I am a presiding officer and the chairman of the committee of the Constitution review, and I can’t take a position.
“My position is to be the unbiased umpire who will listen to the desires of all Nigerians either through the bills presented to the parliament for constitutional amendment or the memoranda that we received from the public. So, when we do, we analyse and then take a position based on what the people want,” he said.
When asked to react to the position of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-political organisation favourably disposed to states controlling the resources in their domains while making returns to the federal government instead of creating more states, the Deputy Speaker said that the Parliament would look at the merits and demerits of all proposals before it and accorded it the wishes of Nigerians.
“Honestly, the parliament listens to all sides of narratives on any issue, and ours is to know the pulse of the people. How they feel about an issue and then analysepp it through debates, and then the parliament will not take a positiopn. We will not impose any position on Nigerians,” he said.
