FROM ANIOMA TO ANIM-OMA; FRESH TWIST EMERGE ON STATE CREATION SAGA, AS SOUTH EAST STAKEHOLDERS AGREE ON NEW NAME FOR PROPOSED STATE

Fresh developments have emerged in the ongoing agitation for the creation of an additional state in the South East geopolitical zone, as indications from a closed-door meeting held last Thursday in Abuja, suggest that regional stakeholders may have settled on “Anim-Oma State” as their preferred option.

According to information obtained by Igbo History from participants at the meeting, which took place at the residence of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the proposed state would merge parts of three regions: Anioma in Delta State, the old Orlu zone in Imo State, and Ihiala Local Government Area in Anambra State. Orlu was reportedly adopted as the preferred capital.

Delta North Leaders Issue Strong Rejection

However, the development triggered swift and emphatic pushback from political leaders of Delta North senatorial district. Legislators representing the district in the Delta State House of Assembly, together with the nine LGA chairmen, jointly rejected any proposal suggesting the integration of Anioma into the South East.

In a unified statement, the leaders reaffirmed their long-standing support for the creation of Anioma State but insisted that such a state must remain within the South-South geopolitical zone.

Inside the Abuja Meeting

The meeting, convened by the Deputy Speaker, was designed to bring together all state-creation movements in the South East to present their proposals and help the region harmonise its position before submitting it to national authorities.

Despite the session being originally reserved for South East agitators, Senator Ned Nwoko and a delegation from Anioma were unexpectedly admitted into the discussions. After presentations from different groups, the Deputy Speaker reportedly appealed to overlapping movements to voluntarily consolidate their demands to enable the region to present a unified case.

It was at this point that the Osita Izunaso-led Anim State movement announced a merger with Senator Nwoko’s Anioma group and representatives from Ihiala, forming the joint proposal now referred to as “Anim-Oma State.”

Sources disclosed that the Anioma delegation agreed to relinquish Asaba as proposed capital and consented to Orlu instead—a position Senator Nwoko was said to have endorsed.

However, the proposal raised concerns from some attendees who warned that integrating parts of Delta State into a South East agenda could complicate the region’s exclusive claim to the additional state promised in national discourse.

Questions were also raised about compliance with the requirements of Section 8(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that any request for state creation must secure the endorsement of two-thirds of elected officials across all legislative levels within the proposed area.

Participants said the Deputy Speaker assured them that necessary documents had already been submitted in line with constitutional provisions. He reportedly confirmed that the Anim-Oma proposal would be forwarded as the South East’s consensus position. The meeting is expected to reconvene today for a formal vote.

Delta North: “Anioma Belongs to the South-South—Non-Negotiable”

In what appeared to be the strongest part of their communiqué, Delta North leaders dismissed any suggestion of aligning Anioma with the South East, describing the idea as “vehemently opposed,” “non-negotiable,” and inconsistent with the cultural and administrative identity of the Anioma people.

While acknowledging undeniably shared ethnic and linguistic ties with neighbouring Igbo-speaking communities, the leaders stressed that geopolitical belonging is shaped not just by ethnicity but by decades of administrative history and regional evolution.

They reiterated that the Anioma State envisioned by their forebears comprises the nine LGAs of Delta North—Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika North-East, Ika South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, and Ukwuani, with Asaba as capital. This configuration, they said, aligns with historical movements dating back to past leaders who championed Anioma identity.

According to them, attempts to merge Anioma with the South East would distort history and undermine their political and developmental trajectory within the South-South. They insisted that their pursuit of Anioma State remains a longstanding mission anchored on cultural identity, administrative alignment, and the quest for equity within the Nigerian federation.

Commitment to Pursue Anioma State Within South-South

Beyond rejecting the Anim-Oma proposal, the leaders vowed to “actively lobby and support every legitimate effort” to secure the creation of an autonomous Anioma State within the South-South, arguing that the district deserves the same level of recognition accorded to other ethnic groups in the region.

“We are united in the belief that the creation of Anioma State is a necessary step towards fulfilling the political and developmental destiny of our people,” the statement concluded.

Culled from Igbo History Facebook page