Victor EzejaAgbor people in Delta State have expressed their rejection of a proposal by Senator Ned Nwoko for the creation of Anioma State to become part of South-East region in Nigeria.
Senator Nwoko, who is representing Delta North in the 10th Senate recently proposed a bill seeking the creation of Anioma State from some parts of Delta to be part of South-East region. Nwoko argued in the bill that the creation of Anioma State would help address imbalance in the number of states for each geopolitical zone in Nigeria as South-East still has lesser number compared to other zones.
However, in an open protest letter by Ikoro-Agbor dated 23 June and addressed to President Bola Tinubu and President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the group said Senator Nwoko did not consult with the people of Agbor before presenting the proposal to the National Assembly for consideration.
Ikoro-Agbor comprises youth of the entire communities of Agbor Kingdom an integral part of Delta North senatorial district where the proposed Anioma State will be created.
The letter was signed by Johnson Imade, Egbonimali Mburiche, Sunday Ugbede, and Ehiedu Agwaze, for Ikoro-Agbor
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Part of the letter reads: “We State that Agbor people are not in agreement with the published proposition of Senator Ned Nwoko and are therefore opposed to the political affiliation of Anioma to South-Eastern Nigeria.
“We affirm that Senator Ned Nwoko, representing the Delta North District did not consult with the people of Agbor before issuing his proposition of a prospective Anioma State joining with the South-East in a new Region in Nigeria.”
The group said Agbor Kingdom has had “no shared history, governing commonality or association with the Igbo before or after British colonialism.”
“While we remain fellow compatriots since the independence of Nigeria in 1960, we have had no relatable administrative experience with South-Eastern Nigeria.”
Citing some historical instances, the group claimed that “during the plebiscite that created the Midwest Region in 1964, Agbor people helped mobilize the rest Anioma region to vote for and become an integral part of the Midwest Region.”
“Arising from these stated facts, IKORO-AGBOR dissociates the land and people of Agbor from the proposition of Senator Ned Nwoko which we believe has been published to the National Assembly, the Presidency and other public institutions for consideration.
“We therefore by this publication declare Nwoko’s unilateral affiliation to the South-East null, void and of no binding effect on Anioma people.”
Ikoro-Agbor insisted that the mandate of Senator Nwoko to represent Delta North in the 10th Senate does not include any permission to cede Anioma people to South-East Nigeria through state creation without their consent that should be expressed in a plebiscite.
“We hold that any re-arrangement in the political affiliation of the Delta North senatorial district will require a plebiscite to seek a democratic validation as was done before the creation of the Midwest Region in 1964. Agbor was an integral part of that epochal political experience.
“Agbor people remain united with their Anioma brethren in the advocacy for Anioma State, following in the leadership role played by our own Dr. George Oka Orewa of blessed memory, whose pioneering leadership united the Anioma people in the quest for their own state and identity.
“ Finally, Ikoro-Agbor expresses the firm resolve of Agbor people to remain a strong advocate of a future Anioma state that will be solidly an integral part of the South-South region of Nigeria,” the group further stated.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
