Akpabio Debunks Reports on Creation of 12 New States – “Not Even One Has Been Approved”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied claims circulating on social media that the Nigerian Senate has approved the creation of 12 new states, including Ijebu, Ibadan, Tiga, and Toru-Ibe.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, July 22, under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) first addressed the reports, branding them as fake. Akpabio swiftly aligned with Ningi’s position, stating categorically that no such decision has been taken by the Senate.
“I hope that the way Africans use social media will not break society; that is my only hope. You see, even for appointments to be made, they will go and create fake letterhead paper and write that the person has rejected the appointment,” Akpabio lamented.
“No single state, proposed or otherwise, has been created,” he declared.
The Senate President emphasized the strict constitutional procedures required for state creation in Nigeria.
“Even if that were to be the case, it would involve all the houses of assemblies in the country. And we must get their two-thirds concurrence before anything can come back to us. And the two chambers—the House of Representatives and Senate—must also be involved,” he explained.
While acknowledging that various proposals for new states exist, Akpabio clarified that none has advanced far enough in the legislative process.
“Not one has reached a stage where we can even say we have finished zonal or national deliberation and then transmitted to state houses of assembly, and then brought back to the National Assembly for deliberations,” he said.
Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, stressed that any constitutional amendment, including state creation, undergoes “very stringent” processes.
The proposed but yet to be approved new States are;
South West:
- Ijebu State – From Ogun State
- Ibadan State – From Oyo State
South East:
- Anim State – From parts of Anambra and Imo
- Adada State – From Enugu State
South South:
- Toru-Ibe State – From parts of Ondo, Edo, and Delta
- Obolo State – From Akwa Ibom
North East:
- Savanna State – From Borno
- Amana State – From Adamawa
North West:
- Tiga State – From Kano
- Gurara State – From Southern Kaduna
North Central:
- Okura State – From Kogi
- Apa State – From Benue
As it stands, the Senate has neither approved nor initiated any formal process for the creation of new states. The public is urged to disregard misleading reports and rely on official legislative communications. Read More
