Former Deputy President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has pledged to introduce the Ethiope State Creation Bill in the first legislative session if elected back to the Senate in 2027, blaming the delay in actualising the proposed state on the opposition of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari to the creation of new states.
Omo-Agege, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe, said the Buhari administrationโs position against the creation of any new state made it impossible for the proposal to progress during his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review.
The former Delta Central senator was responding to renewed criticisms and debates among stakeholders in the Ethiope State agitation, particularly over comments he made during a 2020 engagement with the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU).
According to the statement, Omo-Agege said state creation is a constitutional process that requires broad political support, including cooperation from the executive arm of government.
During his meeting with a UPU delegation led by the Okobaro of Ughievwen Kingdom, HRM Dr Matthew Ediri Egbi (JP), Owahwa II, in September 2020, Omo-Agege explained that the creation of a new state required national consensus, cross-party support and strategic engagement with the federal government.
The statement said Omo-Agege, while serving as chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, met with former President Buhari and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to present over 100 constitutional amendment proposals submitted from across the country, including requests for the creation of new states.
It stated that during the meeting, Omo-Agege sought clarification from Buhari on the proposals the administration was willing to support.
โThe answer was unambiguous: the Buhari administration would not support the creation of any new state, full stop,โ the statement said.
It argued that pushing ahead with the Ethiope State Creation Bill under such circumstances would have amounted to โlegislative theatre, not governance,โ because of the constitutional requirements and the role of the executive in the process.
The statement maintained that Omo-Agege instead chose to preserve the Urhobo peopleโs demand and keep the issue alive until a more favourable political environment emerged.
It said the situation had changed under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose expressed support for state creation had created what it described as โan open executive doorโ for the process.
โThe executive door that was shut for eight years is now open,โ the statement said.
The former Senate Presidentโs camp challenged current federal lawmakers from Delta Central Senatorial District to take advantage of the opportunity by sponsoring the Ethiope State Creation Bill and presenting a corresponding motion before the National Assembly.
The statement also took aim at Senator Ede Dafinone, accusing him of failing to support the Ethiope State agitation and allegedly working against those driving the movement.
It described the alleged actions as โa failure of leadershipโ and โa betrayal of the Urhobo Nation.โ
However, the statement said Omo-Agege remained committed to the cause and never authored or supported statements attacking individuals involved in the agitation.
โIf Ethiope State is not created before the 2027 general elections, Omo-Agege will introduce the Ethiope State Creation Bill in the very first legislative session upon his return to the Senate,โ it stated.
The former senator also pledged to mobilise support from members of both chambers of the National Assembly, engage the presidency and work with stakeholders to ensure the creation of the proposed state.
โThe creation of Ethiope State is bigger than any individual, any senator, and any political party,โ the statement said, urging stakeholders to โset aside ego and politicsโ in pursuit of the interest of the Urhobo people.
The proposed Ethiope State is part of longstanding agitations by sections of the Urhobo ethnic nationality seeking a separate state from the present Delta State structure.
The debate over new states has continued to feature prominently in Nigeriaโs constitutional amendment discussions, with advocates arguing that additional states would improve representation, governance and resource allocation.
