Deputy Speaker Leads Consultation On Proposed South/East State

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Benjamin Kalu and other key lawmakers are set to meet with proponents of the new state in the South-East as part of ongoing consultations on state creation in the region.

The meeting, scheduled to hold on November 14, 2025, in one of the state capitals in the Southeast, will bring together a broad coalition of stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly, Governors, Speakers and Deputy
Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Ministers, and Heads of federal agencies from the region.

A statement released after a high-level meeting between the Deputy Speaker and the South East Caucus of the Senate stated that the forum will provide an opportunity for the proponents of new states to present their case and for stakeholders to harmonize their positions ahead of parliamentary consideration.

At the meeting chaired by Senator Osita Isunaso, lawmakers from the region resolved to pursue a unified position on state creation before submitting it to the National Assembly for debate and voting.

A similar consultative meeting had earlier held at the House of Representatives, with lawmakers agreeing to extend the engagement to the Senate.

It will be recalled that the Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Constitution Review during its retreat co-chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jubrin Barau and Hon.Kalu in Lagos penultimate week approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East to bring the zone at par with other geopolitical regions of the country.

PR Oduyemi Odumade