The House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Amendment has rejected all 31 proposals for the creation of new states, citing failure to meet constitutional requirements.
The House received the proposals on 6th February 2025, but Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu announced that none met the necessary criteria for consideration.
Kalu, who also chairs the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made this known at a two-day retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. The retreat, organised by the 10th House of Representatives in partnership with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), aimed to assess constitutional amendment proposals.
“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment,” Kalu stated.
Despite this, the committee has extended the deadline for submissions to 5th March 2025, allowing communities to revise their proposals. Further extensions may be considered depending on the retreat’s resolutions.
Beyond state creation, the House Committee is reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills aimed at addressing governance challenges in Nigeria.
“Some of the bills have passed the second reading, while others are still at the first stage,” Kalu noted.
As the review process continues, communities seeking new states must ensure their proposals meet the constitutional requirements to be considered for approval.