The House of Representatives has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda on the creation of new states and local governments to March 26, 2025.
This is contained in a statement from the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, stating that the decision was arrived at following public demand for additional time to refine and resubmit their legislative proposals in compliance with Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution.
Recall that on February 7, 2025, the House Committee on Constitution Review announced that it had received memoranda to create an additional 31 states, stating, however, that none of the proposals met the constitutional requirement.
According to the statement, to be eligible for consideration, proposals for state creation must meet specific requirements, including support from at least two-thirds majority of elected parliamentarians representing the affected area in the Senate, House of Representatives, state House of Assembly, and local government councils.
For local government creation, the outcome of votes by the state House of Assembly and the outcome of the referendum must be forwarded to the National Assembly for legislative action.
The submission guidelines included three hard copies to be transmitted to the Secretariat of the Committee Room H331, House of Representatives White House, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
The statement noted that soft copies should be emailed to: info@hccr.gov.ng, adding that deadline is Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, said their goal remains to facilitate a thorough and constitutionally compliant process that addresses legitimate aspirations for state and local government creation.