Hope Uzodimma. Photo; TWITTER/HOPEUZODINMA1
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma has called for the creation of an additional state in the South East. He made this known yesterday at a public hearing on the review of the constitution held at Imo Concorde Hotel, Owerri.
The hearing was chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Ahmed Idris Wase. The governor also urged Nigerians to stop asking President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate the process of restructuring the nation.
According to him, “We need to understand the nitty-gritty of our democracy and our responsibilities in office. President Buhari has no powers to amend the constitution. It is the responsibility of our parliament to amend. For instance, our people are calling for restructuring. We must stop the blame game. We must begin to understand where and when politics stops.”
Uzodinma called for dialogue and a robust debate to avoid violence and insurrection. He also appealed for a “peaceful, and transparent process”, urging the committee to be vocal and give equal opportunity to contributors.
His Abia State counterpart, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, was represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Okey Ukochukwu. Disclosing the position of Abia, he said the establishment of state police, and restructuring was imperative.
The state also demanded increased fiscal allocation to take care of revenues coming to the sub-national government.In his welcome address, Wase promised that the committee would do an acceptable job, urging the presenters to feel free to make their submissions.
Other presenters at the event included the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); Imo State monarchs, represented by Eze Okeke; Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE); and pioneer Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Abia State, Theo Nkire.
