Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has called for the creation of an additional state in the South-East to bring the region at par with others in Nigeria’s geopolitical structure.
Mbah made the demand on Thursday while receiving members of the Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment during their courtesy visit to the Government House, Enugu, ahead of the South-East zonal public hearing on constitutional reforms.
The governor also advocated for the establishment of state police and the entrenchment of rotational presidency to ensure justice, inclusion, and a stronger federation.
“One issue that excites us greatly is the prospect of state policing,” Mbah told the committee. “We believe that states should have their own police structures, working alongside the federal police but with clearly defined responsibilities. This is long overdue, especially given the growing security concerns in our communities.”
He said granting states the power to run their own police would greatly enhance security and governance at the grassroots level.
On the issue of state creation, Mbah pointed out that the South-East remains the only zone with five states, compared to six or seven in other zones.
“This imbalance needs to be corrected in the spirit of equity and federal fairness. We hope the ongoing amendment will provide the opportunity to address this issue,” he said.
He also called for constitutional backing for rotational presidency among Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, saying it would guarantee fairness and national cohesion.
“Rotational presidency will ensure every region, including the South-East, has a fair opportunity to lead the country. It’s an idea whose time has come,” he added.
Governor Mbah assured the committee that the Enugu State Government would present a formal memorandum during the public hearing to articulate its position on the key issues.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, said the visit was part of the committee’s consultation efforts to gather the views of Nigerians across regions on critical constitutional reforms.
He noted that the 1999 Constitution, a product of military rule, had attracted criticism for not fully representing the interests of Nigeria’s diverse regions and peoples.
“Nigerians have long questioned the legitimacy and inclusiveness of the 1999 Constitution. This amendment process is a chance to fix long-standing imbalances,” Nwebonyi said.
He acknowledged that people of the South-East have consistently expressed concern over marginalisation, particularly the region’s lower number of states compared to other zones.
“We are here to listen to those concerns and work toward a more equitable and representative constitutional order,” he assured.
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