Amid ongoing constitution review, Governors Otti and Uzodinma disagree on state creation but agree on state police
The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti and the Governor Imo State, Hope Uzodinma have shared divergent views on creation of new states as proposed in the ongoing constitution review.
While Uzodinma called for creation of additional states especially in the south-east to address perceived marginalization, Otti on the hand, opined that the creation of additional states will be an additional burden on lean national resources.
The two governors gave their remarks at the south-east zonal public hearing for Imo and Abia on the Constitution Review held in Owerri on Saturday.
Senator Uzodinma stated that governors elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) are firmly in support of the call for state police. He also emphasized that the creation of additional states in the south-east is crucial to promoting equity and justice, just as rotating the presidency among the six geopolitical zones would ensure fairness for all Nigerians.
He reiterated that the south-east remains the only geopolitical zone with just five states, stressing that proposals for the creation of more states in the region should be given serious consideration to address the long-standing sense of marginalization felt by its people.
He said: “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. 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.
“Until a few years ago, Owerri served as the capital of us all. Today, we have Umuahia and Abakaliki as capitals of new states. Through our collective efforts, perhaps we shall soon have more state capitals like Orlu, Aba, Nsukka, and more. I believe that this is the prayer of the entire south-east, and it shall come to pass by the grace of God”.
On indigineship, the governor reminded that, the constitution guarantees every citizen the right to live and work in any part of the country. He however noted that, in practice, those born and raised in a place where their grandparents may not have originated from are still regarded and treated as non-indigenes.
He said the practice was not in tandem with the spirit of brotherhood “We should not be seen to be speaking from two sides of our mouth.We need to legally define indigeneship by birth or long-term residence – say, ten years. Anyone born in a state or has lived in a state for upwards of ten years should be a legitimate indigene of that state. This is common practice in advanced democracies.”
“It was also becoming the norm in our pre-first Republic years, until that Republic was cut short. How else did Mallam Umaru Altine become the Mayor of Enugu in 1952 if not because he was accepted as an indigene of Enugu. That tells us something profound about our potential for unity if only the constitution can catch up with our history. I therefore urge this committee to seriously consider this matter as part of the proposed constitutional amendments”.
He also called for the constitutional entrenchment of rotational presidency, not along the ambiguous North–South divide, but along the six established geopolitical zones.
He said, “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.
On his part Governor of Abia state, Alex Otti represented by his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, said the ongoing 2025 Constitution Review provides an opportunity for Nigerians with a great opportunity to further interrogate the system and evaluate what they need to change to steer their country in the right direction.
He said, whatever political leaning or other convictions one belongs to, the country is for all its citizens to build, adding that the responsibility cannot be transferred to citizens of other countries to do on their behalf.
He noted that, while Nigeria may not be the nation of its citizens’ dreams yet but as it was always learnt from history, nothing is irreversible.
Otti added that, at any rate, Nigerians have to appreciate that changes cannot happen in an environment ruled by cynicism, docility and mistrust and Nigerians have to believe again that they are a community of great people, a land with great national heritage.
He added, “I would share my thoughts on some of the key agenda for debates and considerations in the 2025 constitutional review process. As many in this auditorium may know, the positions I would be sharing today have since been documented in my writings and public engagements from the last decade so they are not entirely new ideas.
“I have to, however, add that my personal views should not override the legitimate concerns of other stakeholders who also have a right to disagree or present alternative viewpoints. The most important thing is that all of us deserve to have a say in the process. Thankfully, the platform for that broad engagement has been presented to us through these public hearings.
“My first interest is the clamour for the creation of additional states. I am aware that proposals for the creation of 31 new states were received by the National Assembly prior to this time. While I respect the rights of those who believe that the creation of new states would address concerns of marginalisation and exclusion of some ethnic and religious groups in the current structure in some parts of the country.
“I am more concerned about the additional burden these proposals, if adopted, would add to the lean resources of the nation through the multiplication of administrative costs and further bloating of an oversized bureaucracy. Except we can magically find independent sources of financing the new states outside what currently exists, I do not share the optimism of those promoting the idea of adding new states to the current 36-state structure.
“My recommendation would be the development of an inclusive governance model in the states, one that gives every major clan a say in the allocation of resources, a seat at the decision-making table and the structural leverage to advance their political and economic interests”.
The governor said, Nigerians should be more concerned about improving the economic structure of the states, creating jobs for the young people outside the civil service and make the welfare of the common man a priority.
According to him, the current system is too elite driven to be functional, saying that it is high time ordinary people are placed at the centre of decision making.
On the creation of state police and related matters, Otti argues that the present realities in the land have made it a matter of urgent national priority.
He said, “The current exclusive federal policing system is largely inadequate and has exposed our people to a litany of vulnerabilities over the years. So, I would vote for the creation of State police but with a proviso that standards be clearly defined as it relates to leadership, relationship with federal and other sub-national policing structures, recruitments, accountability and respect for human rights”.
The Governor expressed his support for the creation of additional seats for women in the national and state assemblies saying that his endorsement is total.
He noted that, while it would guarantee the inclusion of women in the political process and giving them a say in shaping the character of the Nigerian governance architecture, Otti however said, just having women in our legislative assemblies would not achieve the desired impact unless a number of fundamental issues are holistically addressed.
He said, “the internal processes within the political parties have to be strengthened to make for the active participation of women in decision making. The ordinary women, not persons related or affiliated to powerful male party leaders, must be at the centre of the process.
“If we are not careful, we may be creating new openings for men with vested interests to further entrench themselves in the system using proxies. If that happens, nothing in the real sense of it would change in the political fortunes of average Nigerian women,”
