REPS COMMITTEE REJECTS PROPOSAL FOR CREATION OF 31 STATES

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All 31 proposals for state formation have been rejected by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Amendment, which cited noncompliance with constitutional standards.

On February 6, 2025, the House was presented with plans to create 31 additional states.

Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, declared that none of Nigeria’s 31 state creation proposals satisfied the constitutional criteria for review.

This was revealed on Friday during a two-day retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, by Kalu, who also serves as the chair of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

It aimed to assess constitutional amendment proposals and determine the next steps in the review process.

“Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment,” Kalu stated.

Despite this setback, the committee has extended the deadline for submissions to March 5, 2025, allowing communities to revise their proposals.

Kalu hinted that further extensions might be considered depending on the retreat’s resolutions.

Beyond state creation, Kalu revealed that 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,” he noted.

As the review process continues, communities seeking state creation must meet the constitutional requirements to be considered for approval.