THE Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, says peace has continued to elude the South-East geopolitical zone due to the perceived marginalisation of the region by successive governments.
The South-East has witnessed persistent unrest in recent years, following agitations by the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which has been calling for the creation of an independent state of Biafra.
News Point Nigeria reports that Senator Nwoko, who is leading the campaign for the creation of Anioma State out of the present Delta State to serve as the sixth state in the South-East, said the government only needs to do two things to restore peace to the region.
According to him, the creation of Anioma State and the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, will almost certainly bring lasting peace to the South-East.
“The problem in the South-East has to do with the perceived injustice by successive governments,” Senator Nwoko said on Channels Televisison’s Sunday Politics.
“So, what needs to be done, and it’s one of the reasons I am here today, is the creation of a new state to make up the number to six, and then the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
“By the time you do these two things, I am almost certain that peace will return to the South-East.”
Kanu, the embattled IPOB leader, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in June 2021. He is facing terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
There have been calls from several quarters, especially from some leaders in the South-East, for a political solution that will ensure the release of the IPOB leader by the Federal Government.
Adding his voice to the release of Kanu, Senator Nwoko said that the IPOB leader is being held in custody unjustly. According to him, Kanu’s incarceration is the main reason for the unrest in the South-East.
The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East, and Senator Nwoko is confident that his proposed Anioma State will get the nod.
“Now, what has happened is that the National Assembly has put together a committee to decide which state to choose. There are about seven states from the South-East, and we are one of them.
“At the public hearing in Enugu, we also presented our case, so I am almost certain that we will be chosen,” he said.
He also expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will approve the creation of Anioma State, saying that it would represent the best gift from the President to the people of Anioma and the Igbo in general.