APC chieftain urges NASS to fast track passage of Anim state bill

The National Vice-Chairman (South-East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu has urged the National Assembly to ensure the passage of Anim State bill seeking the creation of a new state for the South East.

The APC chieftain urged the lawmakers to let the joint constitutional amendment package include Anim State among the new states presented to President Bola Tinubu.

Arodiogbu made the call in a statement he personally signed on Sunday in Abuja.

The APC chieftain explained that a new state for the South East will restore balance to the region which presently has five states.

He stated: “For more than fifty years the South-East geopolitical zone has carried the burden of being the only zone with five states while the South-West, South-South, North-Central, North-East and North-West enjoy six or seven states each.

“This imbalance is not just a statistical curiosity; it translates into fewer senators, fewer members of the House of Representatives, fewer federal constituencies, fewer votes at the National Economic Council, smaller monthly allocations from the Federation Account, fewer ministerial positions and fewer appointments into federal boards and parastatals.

“It has created a structural disadvantage that no amount of individual brilliance or collective industry by the people of the South-East can fully overcome.