The Imo State House of Assembly, Tuesday, threw it support for the creation of an additional state in the South-East.
The House said that the zone is over due for more states,
Moving the motion on the floor of the House, the Chief sponsor, Hon. Acho Ihim and 13 others, said that the South-East geo political zone deserve to have more states. In his presentation, member representing Owerri West State Constituency, Hon. Innocent Ekeh, said Igbos are totally marginalized at the Federal level because it does not have equal states with other zones.
He said “politics is all about number and our allocation too Imo state is peanuts compared to what other states obtain”.
Hon.GregOkemili (Oru East LGA) backed the clamour for the creation of additional states in the South-East, saying the region deserves more than one state. Hon. Simeon Iwunze (Isiala Mbano) regretted that while Igbos are “playing” politics with state creation, other geo-political zones such as the South-South have gotten 50% of oil derivation while the SouthWest and North East zones are demanding for concession.
In his remarks, the Speaker, Imo House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumuogu said the request by the South-East for more states is overdue, recalling in 2005, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo backed the region for more states.
When the matter was put for voting, all members present voted in support of it.
