The Senator representing Abia North believes the sixth state in the Southeast should be created from Anioma in Delta state.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has declared his support for the creation of the same state.
The former Abia state governor said the Anioma people are Igbos and have never denied this.
He re-emphasised the fact that the South-East is the only zone in Nigeria with only five states.
He stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, March 3, 2025.
Anioma should produce 6th Southeast state
According to Kalu, the creation of Anioma as a sixth state in the Southeast would help douse anger over the perceived marginalisation of the Igbo people.
“Of course, Anioma State should be created as the sixth South-East state. It’s the only state that will be viable to be created. Anioma are Igbos and they never said they are not Igbos. The sixth South-East state should be created, and it should be from Anioma.”
Naturenex recalls that Senator Ned Nwoko said the Anioma state agitation has always been driven by the Anioma people who are of Igbo descent and reside in the northern part of Delta state.
The lawmaker, representing Delta North in the 10th National Assembly, said the people in that region shared a distinct Igbo cultural identity that was remarkably different from the Urhobo and Itsekiri ethnic groups in the state.
Nwoko asserted that state creation has historically been a tool for promoting unity, addressing ethnic grievances, and fostering development, and Igbo ancestors endorsed Anioma state.
The new Anioma state proposed by Senator Nwoko is made up of nine local government areas, in the present Delta State.
