States’ creation proposal a bait to mislead public, warns CSO

The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using the proposed creation of 31 new states as a political strategy to deceive Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It described the move as a grand deception and distraction orchestrated by the ruling party to divert attention from the country’s worsening economic and security crises.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, CHRICED’s Executive Director, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, claimed that the APC was using state creation as a bait to win support ahead of 2027, “knowing full well that the proposal is unrealistic.”

The House of Representatives Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution had, last week, received proposals for the creation of 31 new states across the federation.

Zikirullahi argued that the move was a “mere political ploy designed to mislead the public.” He warned that creating additional states would worsen the nation’s financial crisis, as most existing states were already struggling to pay workers’ salaries without federal allocations.

He said: “This initiative, which ostensibly aims to address the creation of new states, starkly reflects a troubling misallocation of priorities and a profound insensitivity to the myriad of struggles faced by ordinary Nigerians.

It is disheartening to witness elected officials, who are meant to represent the interests of their constituents, engaging in such tactics that seem more focused on political manoeuvring than on genuine governance.

“We interpret this proposal as a calculated strategy designed to mislead unsuspecting citizens into rallying behind the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the 2027 general elections draw near. The timing and nature of this initiative suggest that its proponents are fully aware of its impracticality and the challenges that lie ahead.

“The process may be initiated with much fanfare, but we anticipate that it will ultimately be stalled as the elections approach, conveniently justified by the need to take a recess for election activities.”