Political gladiators and stakeholders in the Southeast States have been urged to shelve their personal interests and rally support for the creation of additional states for the Southeast region.
Of all the geo-political zones of the federation, only the Southeast has five states, while others have as many as six and seven states.
This development has resulted in calls for the additional state to keep the region at par with its contemporaries.
Recently, some members of the House of Representatives led by the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South constituency in the 10th National Assembly, Hon Ugochinyere Ikegwuonu had articulated a Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of Nigeria to pave the way for the creation of Orlu state as 37th state of the Federation.
The state will be created out of Imo, Anambra and Abia states.
However, the Bill has been greeted with criticisms and condemnation from some Federal lawmakers and political leaders from the Southeast region.
They are claiming that they were not duly consulted and as such, their constituencies cannot be part of the new state.
But in a chat with newsmen, the Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO in Anambra, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme believes every other interest aside from the collective gain of the region should be jettisoned at this point.
According to him, what is important at this time, is to reverse the marginalization the region is facing in terms of the insufficient number of states, which has also affected the region negatively in many ways.
“The CLO urges Southeast political leaders to eschew bitterness and rancour, embrace love, and tolerance and unite more than ever before and work patriotically, assiduously, and diligently towards the creation of the long overdue additional state for the Southeast in tandem with recommendations of 2014 National Constitutional Conference.
“We view the discordant voices as self-serving and a great disservice to the Igbo nation, considering the huge losses of southeast both in political representation and appointments, infrastructural development, and political value.
“The generation yet unborn will never forgive and forget anyone if they failed to close rank and actualize one or two more states for Southeast, name or composition of the new state notwithstanding.Â
“We therefore appeal to our political leaders to make necessary sacrifices and commitments towards the creation of more states for Southeast.
“It is an existential reality that what the region desperately needs, is more states to bring more development, sense of belonging, and governance closer to the people, not who sponsored the bill or name of the state.Â
“We also appeal to the National Assembly to expedite actions towards the creation of more states for Southeast in keeping with the tenets of justice, equity, and good conscience.”
