Jimbo Declares Obolo State Movement Dead on Arrival

— Says State Creation Demands Have Not Met Constitutional Requirements

By Etebong Akpan

Uyo

The member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Mr. Clement Jimbo, has dismissed the ongoing agitation for the creation of Obolo State as “dead on arrival,” citing failure to meet constitutional requirements.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pioneer Politics in Uyo over the weekend, Jimbo, who is a member of the Constitution Review Committee in the National Assembly, revealed that none of the five applications currently before the committee for state creation have met the threshold stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution.

“Of course, if you look at the Constitution, by the grace of God, I’m equally a member of the Constitution Review Committee. Right now, we are in different zones holding stakeholders’ meetings and public hearings on various bills and agitations. I can tell you categorically that the five states being proposed will not be split in any form or shape. What you are seeing is dead on arrival because they’ve not met the constitutional requirement for state creation,” Jimbo said.

He emphasised that while there is no objection to the creation of additional states in principle, the process must involve broad-based consensus and the buy-in of all relevant stakeholders. Specifically addressing the Obolo State agitation, which seeks to carve a new state from parts of Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, Jimbo maintained that the move is constitutionally flawed and lacks statewide support.

“There are several states seeking independence, but meeting the constitutional threshold is an uphill task. It’s almost like squeezing water from an igneous rock,” he said. “As long as the governor and stakeholders of Akwa Ibom do not support it, the idea is as good as dead on arrival. As a member of the Constitutional Review Committee, I will vote against that bill and speak against it. What we need now is unity. The governor is building synergy, and we must support that, not division.”

The Obolo State proposal has stoked tensions, particularly among people from Oron Federal Constituency, Ibeno, and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas, who are advocating for the inclusion of Andoni in Rivers State. However, communities in Eket, Onna, Ikot Abasi, and Mkpat Enin Local Government Areas have opposed the move, especially regarding the alleged annexation of their ancestral lands into the proposed state.

Meanwhile, the Ekid People’s Union (EPU), led by its International President, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, recently reaffirmed its opposition to any plan that would include Ibibio land in the proposed Obolo State. The position was made known during a public hearing hosted at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene by the Constitution Review Committee.

Dr. Udonsak, speaking on behalf of the Ekid People’s Union maintained that while they respect the rights of others to seek state creation, they strongly oppose any attempt to redraw boundaries that encroach upon Ibibio territories.