The Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has issued a threat to sue the Nigerian government over its failure to create an additional state in the South-east region.
The President-General of Ohanaeze, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, made this known in a statement on Monday, expressing his dissatisfaction that the South-east remains the only region in Nigeria with just five states.
Iwuanyanwu highlighted that this situation has resulted in significant financial losses for the region, as well as losses in ministerial appointments and legislative representations. He recalled, “In 2005 and 2014, we raised this issue at various political conferences. All men of goodwill at the conference agreed that it was unfair for the South-east to have only five States and recommended that an additional state be created in the South-east but up till today, this has not been done."
The Ohanaeze leader stated that he had repeatedly brought the attention of successive Nigerian governments to the situation in the region, but to no avail. He said, “This statement should serve as a notice that if no step is taken by the federal government and the National Assembly towards the creation of an additional state in the South-east, I will have no choice than to go to court."
Iwuanyanwu also reiterated a long-standing assertion that the South-east is being marginalised in Nigeria. He explained, “In the 1999 Constitution as amended, we all endorsed a federal character. Igbos by nature would have preferred the free competitive process rather than a federal character paradigm. But we realised that Nigeria is a federation comprising so many ethnic nationalities and as part of our sacrifice towards the unity of Nigeria, we accepted the federal character option but unfortunately, it has been used to manoeuvre the Igbo out of most critical positions in government."
This development underscores the ongoing struggle for fair representation and the quest for an additional state in the South-east region, a matter that has now escalated to potential legal action.