The push for the creation of Anioma State has revealed deep divisions among federal lawmakers, with disagreements centring on the proposed capital and the broader implications for the South-East’s long-running demand for equitable representation.
At the heart of the dispute are Ned Nwoko and Ikenga Ugochinyere, who have adopted contrasting positions on both the location of the capital and the political alignment of the proposed state.
The debate gained momentum after Senate president Godswill Akpabio publicly backed the initiative in March 2026, declaring that Anioma State would be created with Asaba as its capital.
Addressing party members in Asaba, Akpabio said the Senate supported the proposal championed by Nwoko, describing it as a step towards “development and shared prosperity” for communities in the area. He added that Warri would serve as the capital of a reconfigured Delta state if the plan materialised.
Buoyed by the endorsement, Nwoko led a delegation of traditional rulers from the Anioma region to meet the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who chairs the constitution review committee.
At the meeting, Nwoko framed the proposal within the context of long-standing grievances in Nigeria’s geopolitical arrangement, noting that the South-East remains the only zone with five states, compared with six in most regions and seven in the north-west.
“For decades, leaders from the South-East have demanded the creation of an additional state to bring the region on par with others,” he said, arguing that the Anioma proposal could help address disparities in federal appointments, resource allocation and legislative representation.
He added that the Anioma people of Delta North share cultural and linguistic ties with Igbo communities in the South-East, strengthening the case for the new state as a corrective measure.
But Ugochinyere pushed back, insisting that support from the South-East would depend on whether the proposal directly addresses what he described as a structural imbalance.
“We Igbos across the Niger seek one more state for the purpose of balancing the injustice of five states, while others have six and seven,” he said.
While acknowledging the appeal of broader ethnic alignment, he argued that any new state must be anchored within the South-East itself. He instead proposed an alternative configuration—referred to as Anim State—envisaged to be carved out of Anambra and Imo states.
“If Anioma will agree to join us across the Niger and unite under Anim State, we will be happy,” he said, adding that the location of the capital must also fall within the South-East to meet the region’s core demand.
The exchange underscores the complexity of state creation debates in Nigeria, where questions of identity, political advantage and constitutional equity often intersect.
While proponents see Anioma as a pathway to redressing historical imbalances, critics warn that without consensus on its structure and alignment, the proposal could deepen rather than resolve longstanding regional tensions.
