Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has disclosed that none of the 31 petitions for state creation fulfilled the constitutional criteria.
Kalu, who is also the chairman of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, shared this information on Friday during a two-day retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.
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“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment.
“Therefore, 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 in their efforts to make their voices heard.”
“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 said.
The event, organized in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, was aimed at reviewing amendment bills and planning the next steps in the constitutional review process.
Kalu also revealed that the House Committee is currently examining 151 constitutional amendment bills, highlighting duplication as a significant challenge in the process.
As part of the review, zonal and national public hearings will take place across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with sessions scheduled in states including Nasarawa, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos, and Ondo.
Kalu assured that the review process would be transparent and inclusive, stressing the importance of legislative reforms that represent the will of the Nigerian people.
“As legislators, we must ensure the voices of Nigerians are reflected in our constitutional reforms,” he stated.
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