..as Akpabio dismisses claims on 12 new states
By James Adamu
The Senate announced on Tuesday it would hold a special session in honour of late President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, July 23.
The Senate explained that the session of tributes would look at his legacy and contributions to the building of Nigeria, having served as its number one citizen twice.
The late President had died at the London Clinic on July 13 at the age of 82.
Buhari, who led Nigeria twice at the topmost level, served as its military leader from December 31, 1983, until August 27, 1985.
On May 29, 2015, he returned the second time as a democratically-elected President, and later reelected for a second term that ran from May 29, 2019 to May 29, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Senate dismissed reports suggesting that it had recommended the creation of 12 new states, flowing from the ongoing further review of the 1999 Constitution.
According to the Red Chamber, no new states had been recommended or created, urging Nigerians to ignore such reports.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, made the clarification during plenary in Abuja, as Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi-Central) rose to complain about widespread social media reports claiming that the Senate had created 12 new states.
He stated that some Nigerians, believing the reports to be true, have reportedly gone the extra mile to hold meetings on how to plan for the development of their new states.
Akpabio stated, “I have seen over 42 proposals, but not one has gone through full deliberation.
“The process of creating a state is very rigorous and has not been completed in any instance.”
Akpabio explained that the process of amending the constitution itself was equally rigorous, involving proposals from bills, public hearings, recommendations to the floor and inputs from the 36 state Houses of Assembly by way of approval and the eventual signing of approved recommendations by the President of the country.
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