Few days after the House committee on constitution amendment’s report announced an overwhelming yearning by Nigerians for new states, the Senate and the House of Representatives appear to be headed for a showdown over the need or otherwise for it.
Notwithstanding the overwhelming votes for the creation of new states expressed by Nigerians during last week’s presentation of the aggregate views collated at the peoples public sessions held across the country in November last year, majority of the members of the House of Representatives are said to have concluded plans to vote against creating additional states during the final and electronics voting on the amendment of the constitution.
The consensus of opinion of members against creating additional states which is said to be rife, followed heavy knocks and displeasure over how unsatisfactorily the lead consultant, Clement Nwankwo’s questions bordering on creating new states were.
By Wednesday, April 17, a day to the final presentation of the report by the Emeka Ihedioha led Ad-hoc committee on constitution review, the lawmakers it was learnt, had argued and picked holes over how questions were posed to Nigerians concerning creation of new states.
For instance, the members noted that what was expected of the committee and the consultant was to craft unambiguous questions that demand simple answers, such as ‘Do you want additional states created?’ and not the tell-tale poser of ‘How many more states should be created in Nigeria?’ as well as ‘Should a state or states be created in order to bring parity to the number of states among the geo-political zones?’
“These questions were unnecessary and from our point of view, the consultant has not only bungled that aspect been agitated by some sections of the country but has further made the quest for new states difficult and at the debate on the floor of the House, we will throw it out,” a chairman of one of the committees told this paper in confidence.
“At the debate we will throw it out, the consultant messed up issues on states creation. It was argued by members on Wednesday but unfortunately it was impossible for the committee to reverse itself,”
He said majority of the lawmakers in the House are not inclined to creating additional states abinitio in this next round of constitution review, given the inability of some of the present states to carry on as entities of their own.
“Rather than vote for new states, we will opt for local governments and states assemblies’ financial and political autonomy, among other salient issues: that is the consensus we are already building ahead of the final voting and not more states,” one source also said.
According to him, the House of Representatives may not allow the issue of additional states scale through but noted that the position of the people as collated during public sessions will be approved, but expressed concern over the lack of courage by the states assemblies to muster the desired 2/3rd requirement.
“We want to strengthen democracy and build institutions and not create fiefdoms for emperors,” it was further stated by the impeccable source.
Accordingly, he said members in their consideration expressed concern over the current financial condition of some states, noting that majority of them could barely survive, save for the monthly federal allocation.
“That is our anxiety mainly” he further stated.
Beyond the foregoing, the north is said not to be interested in state creation and may want to scuttle it. The region according to the source would use its superior number in terms of members in the lower House to defeat any motion on state creation.
However, some members hold that the constitutional requirement for the creation of a new state is too cumbersome for the assembly to achieve within its remaining life span.
They also argue that many of the existing 36 states are not financially viable. The recourse of the states to government at the centre for financial assistance all the time, members add, discourages the need for any new state.
But Senate President, David Mark and most senators are not hiding their backing for new states. Although some read political undertone to the support of the senate president for new states, he was recently quoted as saying; “I strongly believe that we truly need to create more states to meet the needs of agitators, bring a sense of belonging to the people, promote healthy competition among the federating states as well as guarantee peace and security in the land.”
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee on constitution review last Thursday presented the report of the public sessions on constitution amendment held across the 360 constituencies in the country.
The chairman of the ad hoc committee and deputy speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, disclosed that the report was the complete views of Nigerians.
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