Says no new state has been approved for creation

The Senate has urged the Emeka Anyaoku-led group, ‘The Patriots,’ to avail itself of the opportunity of the public hearing to be organised by the National Assembly to present its recommendations on the proposal for a new Constitution.

It would be recalled that the group, which had demanded a new constitution for Nigeria, contended that the 1999 Constitution has limitations and has failed to address Nigeria’s challenges, necessitating the demand for a brand new one.

However, in reacting to the group’s demand during an interactive session with newsmen in Ilawe-Ekiti, his country home, Spokesman of the Senate, Yemi Adaramodu, said that the National Assembly would look into the Constitution for amendments.

He said: “We urge our patriotic Patriots to avail themselves of the opportunities that are going to be open to everyone. We welcome input from all Nigerians — elders, professionals, political leaders, traditional rulers, youth groups, women’s groups, civil society organisations (CSOs), and even Nigerians in the Diaspora.

“Once that report is ready, the Senate, in conjunction with the House of Representatives, will hold a comprehensive public hearing. This hearing will allow all stakeholders, those who submitted requests and those opposed to them, to present their arguments. After that, the two chambers will now sit together concurrently to pick which request is genuine.

“The final document, whether a completely new constitution or an amended one, will reflect the collective input of Nigerians, and not just the opinion of one group. Our goal is to ensure that any constitutional change will be in the best interest of Nigeria and its people.”

He stressed that the lawmakers would prioritise the overriding national interest above primordial sentiments when deciding on a review or a new constitution.

Adaramodu said that the Senate had received about 61 requests for state creation during its interactions with constituents from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, saying that these demands and requests were formally submitted.

He said that the National Assembly would consider all necessary and important factors before recommending and approving any request for state creation, adding that it would be handled with utmost integrity, free from bias or personal interests.

“State creation is a serious matter that requires auditing, demographic, geographic, and historical data. In some cases, even within the requesting states, there is no full consensus. All these factors must be considered. state for creation.

“As it stands, no state has been recommended or suggested for creation. We cannot be certain of the final reports or aggregated public views until the public hearings are concluded, when we resume,” he added.

The Senate spokesman, who also spoke on the validation of new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by some state governments, said that the creation would still be reviewed and examined, adding that the National Assembly will collate them, after which the Constitutional Review Committee, headed by the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, will aggregate, assess and filter them before preparing a report for the Senate.”