As the agitation for creation of additional states in the South East heats up, fresh indications suggest that stakeholders in the region may have settled on Anim-Oma State as its preferred option following a closed-door meeting in Abuja last Thursday.
Information gathered from participants at the meeting, which held at the residence of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, shows that the proposed state would comprise Anioma in Delta State, the old Orlu zone in Imo State, and Ihiala Local Government in Anambra State with Orlu selected as the proposed capital.
But in a swift reaction, legislators representing Delta North senatorial district in the Delta State House of Assembly and chairmen of the nine local government areas in the district issued a unified and emphatic rejection of proposals suggesting the placement of Anioma State within the South-East geopolitical zone.
In a joint statement, the political leaders reaffirmed their full support for the creation of Anioma State but insisted that such a state must remain firmly within the South-South.
Daily Sun learnt that the meeting convened by the Deputy Speaker was intended to bring together all state creation movements in the South East to make their presentations and to help the region arrive at a single, unified choice before forwarding its position to the relevant authorities.
Although the session was originally meant to be exclusive to South East agitators, participants disclosed that Senator Ned Nwoko and a delegation from Anioma in Delta State were unexpectedly permitted to join the discussions. But despite initial surprise over their presence, deliberations continued.
It was gathered that after various presentations, the Deputy Speaker appealed to agitating groups to voluntarily step down overlapping demands so that the region could consolidate behind one proposal.
At that stage, Imo Senator, Osita Izunaso-led Anim State movement announced a merger with Senator Nwoko’s Anioma group, along with representatives from Ihiala, to form Anim-Oma State.
On the question of the capital, the Anioma delegation was said to have agreed to cede Asaba in favour of Orlu in Imo State, a position which Senator Nwoko reportedly affirmed.
However, the development did not go unchallenged as some participants raised concerns about a possible arrangement that could dilute the South East’s exclusive claim to the new state.
Questions were also raised regarding compliance with Section 8(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates that any state creation request must carry the endorsement of two-thirds of elected representatives from the proposed area across all legislative tiers and local governments.
According to accounts from attendees, the Deputy Speaker intervened, stating that the necessary documents had already been submitted in line with constitutional requirements.
Kalu reportedly announced that the Anim-Oma proposal would be transmitted to the appropriate authorities as the consensus position of the South East, though he was reminded that the commitment for an additional state applied solely to the region.
The meeting is expected to reconvene today at the same venue for a formal vote on the Anim-Oma proposal.
Credit: The Sun