Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Identity and Population, Victor Umeh, welcomed the National Assembly’s decision to approve one more state for the South-East.
He said the move reflects justice, equity, and fairness for the region.
In an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, the 28th of October, 2025, Umeh referred to the action as a bold step that encourages healing and strengthens unity.
He explained that the approval signals progress in tackling years of political and structural imbalance affecting the South-East.
“This agitation for one additional state in the South-East is not a new thing. As far back as 2014, when we were at the National Conference, the whole 492 delegates that attended agreed unanimously that the South-East deserved one additional state before demands from other parts of Nigeria would be considered.
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“What the Senate and the House of Representatives did at this retreat last weekend is another confirmation of the justice of the matter,” he said.
He pointed out that 55 applications for new states were submitted across Nigeria, yet the Joint Committee reached a unanimous position that the South-East should take priority, calling it a long-overdue response to years of being short-changed.
Umeh also noted that the creation of the new state would reset the field for the six geopolitical zones, allowing any future requests to be handled fairly.