By CHIKA AGWU, Aba

Members of Aba State Movement have adduced reasons why it should be created as the sixth state in the South East geo-political zone, saying that its demand, the oldest in the country, has spanned over 70 years.

Addressing newsmen in Aba, Abia State on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the Movement recalled that Aba State has been recommended for referendum by various governments that ventured into state creation exercises, adding that even Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on two occasions, voted that Aba State should be created as the 6th state in the South East.

Spokesman of Aba State Movement, Chief Theo Nkire, said having been on the demand list for too long, Aba State has met all the constitutional demands and should be created in the renewed move to create more states in the country by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration in the spirit of fairness and equity.

“Aba is the oldest demand in the nation. Our people first asked for states in 1952 and made a presentation to the Willinks Commission in 1957. That's over 70 years ago.

“Aba has fulfilled all constitutional requirements as stipulated by law by Section 8 of the Nigerian Constitution. Aba was approved for referendum by both arms of the National Assembly in June 1983,” Nkire, the pioneer Attorney-General of Abia State, said.

“We have even gone further. Apart from satisfying Section 8, we have gone around the country and we have visited 23 states to lobby them for support. And they gave us their support,” he added.

But the Movement said it was pained that despite their dogged efforts, Aba State was yet to material and blamed it on a number of factors, including not having strong representation in the military that was in charge of governance then, as well as lack of courage by past civilian administrations to create more states.

"There has been no state creation exercise where Aba State did not present its demand. There is none where Aba State was not approved. So I have told you about the confab of 2014. I have told you how Ohanaeze has said Aba State was the 6th state, two times in our history. I've told you that every time the issue had come up, Aba State had always failed.

“So the hindrance has been that there has been no civilian administration that had the courage that the present administration is trying to exercise.

“So it was only the military. And we didn't have strong enough representation in the military at the time,” he said.

Describing the proposed state as distinct, the elder statesman noted that Aba State has homogeneous communities which boundaries have remained unaltered in their 70-old quest for the state, adding that every part of Igbo land is represented in Aba.

“A list of past chairmen, administrators, councilors of Aba, shows that people from all over Igbo land have at various times, participated in the administration of the area proposed for Aba State,” he said, stressing that Aba State was not only important to the Igbo nation but to Nigeria.

To prove the viability of the proposed state, Nkire asserted that Aba State could survive on Internally-Generated Revenue, saying it was blessed with rich mineral resources, including 124 operational oil wells, as well as being the epicenter of palm oil belt that sustained the economy of Eastern Nigeria; thrives in commerce and industry and is known as the Japan of Africa because of its home-grown technology and innovations.

Lamenting that all states recommended for creation in 1983 alongside Aba State, including Adamawa, Jigawa, Katsina, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu have all be created, except Aba, the group, in the wake of the National Assembly recommendation that a 6th state should be created in the South East, made a passionately appealed to all stakeholders to support the creation of Aba State.

They urged the Southeast caucus of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the House of Representatives to confirm Aba State as the sixth state in the South East.

Those present at the Briefing included His Royal Highness, Eze Engineer Victor Nwobia, HRH, Eze Love Nwogu, Fidelia, Fidelia Nwachukwu, women leader, for Aba State movement. Rt. Hon. Uzo Azubuike, a former federal lawmaker.