A major political push by Senator Ned Nwoko to situate a future Anioma State within the South-East geopolitical zone suffered a major setback yesterday, as lawmakers representing Delta North Senatorial District in the Delta State House of Assembly and the nine local council chairmen from the district jointly rejected the proposal, declaring it “unacceptable, ahistorical, and contrary to the collective identity of the Anioma people.”
In a statement signed by the legislators and council bosses, the Delta North leaders reaffirmed their “total and unequivocal” support for the creation of Anioma State but made it clear that the state must remain within the South-South region, where the people are “historically, geographically, and administratively located.”
The intervention marks the most coordinated political pushback against suggestions widely linked to Nwoko, that the long-standing Anioma agitation should be aligned with the South-East in ongoing national conversations about state creation.
The leaders said they reached their resolution after “extensive deliberations” on the revived national debate over new states.
According to them, the struggle for Anioma State is not a recent political invention, but “a generational pursuit aimed at securing political identity, cultural preservation, and accelerated development.”
They said: “Our quest for a distinct and autonomous Anioma State is not a fleeting political venture but a legitimate aspiration deeply rooted in history, championed by our revered forebears.
“The creation of Anioma State is a matter of justice, equity, and a necessary step towards fulfilling the political and developmental destiny of the Anioma people.”
They reiterated that Anioma State must be carved strictly from the existing nine local councils in Delta North, Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika North-East, Ika South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, and Ukwuani, with Asaba as the proposed capital.
The leaders pledged to deploy their full political influence to advance the creation of the state, but drew a bold red line on any attempt to reclassify or merge Anioma with the South-East.
