Anioma Agitation: No cause for alarm, process bigger than one press release — Enuenwosu

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — Activist and community leader, Chief Rich Kay Enuenwosu, has urged calm amid ongoing agitation for the creation of Anioma State, insisting that the process is unfolding within a national conversation far broader than any single press release.

Enuenwosu, a member of the Media Directorate for Senator Ned Nwoko, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation, made the remarks in response to a recent statement by legislators and local government chairmen from Delta North, who opposed situating a prospective Anioma State within the South-East geopolitical zone.

He noted that while the press release reflects a political viewpoint, it does not represent constitutional finality. “State creation is inherently constitutional and national, not merely regional,” he said, warning that declaring any geopolitical alignment “non-negotiable” oversimplifies what is actually a multi-dimensional issue.

Enuenwosu argued that the lawmakers’ position requires calm, factual examination, stressing that their statement is “a position, not the position.” He also pointed out that the press release narrows the historical aspiration for Anioma State to a rigid interpretation, without acknowledging broader historical debates on identity and cultural ties.

He further stated that the lawmakers appear to overstate their powers, noting that state creation involves a rigorous constitutional process that includes the National Assembly, state assemblies, local governments, a referendum, and presidential approval.

Enuenwosu also highlighted national realities ignored by the legislators, including ongoing constitutional review discussions on addressing South-East geopolitical imbalance and the openness of many senators to creating new states.

He described contradictions in the legislators’ position — supporting Anioma State creation “in the strongest terms” while rejecting one of the most viable constitutional pathways to its actualisation.

Ultimately, he stressed that geopolitical placement of a new state is determined through national negotiation and constitutional procedure, not by local preference or press statements.

“There is no cause for alarm,” Enuenwosu concluded. “The conversation is larger than one document. What becomes of a statehood aspiration is shaped by the collective will expressed through constitutional pathways, not the fears or interpretations of any single group.”

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