The House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Amendment has rejected all 31 proposals for the creation of new states, citing non-compliance with constitutional requirements.
On February 6, 2025, the House received 31 proposals for new state formations, but during a retreat held for committee members in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the committee, stated that while the proposals reflected the aspirations of various regions, none fulfilled the criteria set out in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, which governs state creation.
Section 8 outlines the constitutional prerequisites for creating new states, and Kalu emphasized that all proposals had failed to meet these stipulations.
He announced that the committee has extended the submission deadline to March 5, 2025, urging proponents to resubmit their requests in “strict adherence” to constitutional requirements. “Although we received 31 proposals, none met the necessary constitutional requirements for state creation,” Kalu said.
He further indicated that the committee may consider extending the deadline further, depending on discussions at the retreat. “At the conclusion of this retreat, we will evaluate whether to extend the deadline,” he added. “However, let it be clear that none of the applications adhered to the conditions outlined in Section 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
In addition to the state creation proposals, Kalu revealed that the committee is currently reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills, addressing key issues including federal structure, power devolution, local government autonomy, revenue allocation, judicial and electoral reforms, security, gender equality, and human rights.
“A proactive, cooperative approach will ensure a smooth legislative process and the successful implementation of comprehensive legal reforms,” Kalu said.
The committee has also planned zonal and national public hearings across the six geopolitical zones to gather input on the constitutional amendment bills.
