Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has thrust the South‑East’s centuries‑old grievance into the spotlight, demanding the creation of a sixth state to “bring parity” with Nigeria’s other geopolitical zones.
Speaking on Thursday at Government House, Enugu, during a courtesy visit by the Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment, Mbah declared that the South‑East suffers an “injustice” by remaining the only zone with five states, compared with six or more in every other region.
Mbah minced no words on the need to correct this anomaly: “Since the South‑East is the only zone with five states in the country, this must be rectified during this process of amendment,” he thundered.
But his appeal for state‑level policing and a constitutionally enshrined rotational presidency may prove even more combustible.
State Police: Panacea or Pandora’s Box?
Advocates argue that devolving policing to states will close security gaps exploited by kidnappers, insurgents and cult gangs.
Mbah enthused:
“State police will be a truly welcome development…there is no better time than now, given the fragilities in our communities”.
Yet the National Security Council warned six months ago of the pitfalls of a hasty rollout, citing risks of “competition among police forces, inconsistent operational standards and potential partisanship”.
As Nigeria teeters on the brink of chaos in remote enclaves, can federal authorities—and wary governors—forge consensus on a unified framework that safeguards human rights and thwarts political abuse in line with global best practices?
Rotational Presidency: Unwritten Covenant Faces Codification
Since 1979, Nigeria has upheld an informal zoning pact under which the presidency alternates between north and south every two terms—Obasanjo (south‑west), Yar’Adua (north-west), Jonathan (south‑south), Buhari (north-west), Tinubu (south‑west).
Yet this “unwritten law” is absent from the 1999 Constitution, fuelling mistrust that the next occupant of Aso Rock could be chosen through raw majoritarianism rather than geo‑regional balance.
Mbah insists a formal rotational clause would “give the South‑East and every other region a chance at the presidency,” promising to “right some wrongs” of the current charter.
Critics counter that codifying rotation would enshrine ethnicity over merit and risk fracturing party discipline.
Constitutional Deadlock or Democratic Renewal?
The 1999 Constitution’s military‑era pedigree has long drawn criticism for being “the product of a dictator’s pen,” according to Senate Deputy Chief Whip Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who spearheads the amendment hearings in Enugu.
To pass any amendment, two‑thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly and two‑thirds of state assemblies must concur—a formidable hurdle that could stall Mbah’s ambitions.
Yet the Enugu public hearing, slated for Friday, will channel grassroots inputs into the amendment blueprint.
With Nigeria’s federal structure under siege from secessionist agitations, rampant insecurity and fractious identity politics, Mbah’s clarion call for a new state, state police and rotational presidency threatens to ignite fresh debates on national unity.
Will the National Assembly heed this South‑East gambit and deliver transformative reform, or will constitutional inertia prevail—ensuring the South‑East remains the lone zone stunted at five states, forever yearning for equal footing?
Only the unfolding hearings will tell.
Additional reporting by Atlantic Post writer Peter Jene.
