Governor Hope Uzodinma of lmo State has called for two additional states in the South-East region of the country.
Gov. Uzodimma made this known in his remarks at the South East Zonal public hearing for Imo and Abia States on the 1999 Constitution Review by the National Assembly held in Owerri on Saturday.
He stated that the South-East remains the only zone with five states, underscoring the need for at least, two additional states in the region.
“Every other zone has six or more. This imbalance has led to underrepresentation in critical national institutions, from the National Assembly to the Federal Executive Council. It has shrunk our voice and abridged our inclusivity.
“Therefore, it’s only fair and just that we ask for the creation of at least two additional states in the South East.
“It is my well considered submission that Anim State should be one of the new states to be created. This is one state that will have an oil-producing status upon creation.
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“This makes it commercially viable, with sufficient revenue base to self sustain.
“This should naturally go hand-in-hand with the creation of new local government areas for the zone,” he said.
Also, Gov. Uzodimma made a case for constitutional amendment to pave the way for rotational presidency, not along the North–South divide, but along the six established geo-political zones.
“This is not about tokenism but national stability. “Already, zoning has helped calm nerves over federal appointments.
“If Nigerians know that the presidency will rotate among the six zones, it will remove the fear of domination and deepen the sense of inclusion in the country.
“In addition, the time has come for us to take decisive steps on state police. The current centralised policing structure is overstretched and often disconnected from local realities.
“As the chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, I can confirm that we support the decentralisation of the police for greater responsiveness and effectiveness.
“The fear that governors will misuse such a force is unfounded and frankly outdated.
“We cannot allow the past to paralyse the future when our citizens are crying out for safety and order at the grassroots,” he argued.
