The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu has cleared the air on the recent proposal for the creation of new states.
According to the lawmaker who presided over the plenary when the proposal was made, none of the 30 not 31 proposals for new states met the requirements of section 8 of the constitution.
Kalu, in a statement issued today by his media office, clarified that the parliament is yet to take a position on the issue.
He said: “We are the people’s parliament. We are not taking any position on the issue of creation of states. We have heard a lot of people giving different narratives to the letter that was read.
“Let me clear the dust.
“During the Ninth Assembly, we received more requests for state creation and some of them came through private member bills. Some came from the memoranda we called for and in this Tenth Assembly, we have received 30, not 31.
“I think, on that list, they repeated Ibadan State twice. It is 30 that we have received.
He explained further that to create a new state, the constitution requires two-thirds majority vote in the senate, the House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, and local governments.
Kalu said the National Assembly was committed to following the procedure and is inviting the applicants to resubmit their proposals on or before March 5, once they’ve complied with the constitutional guidelines.
