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-h0B308GaXX.jpg "The Indigenous People of Biafra")
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Friday disagreed with the bill seeking to create an additional state for the South-East, rather they demanded a referendum to exit Nigeria.
This development is coming after the House of Representative at a plenary on Thursday read a bill seeking the creation of an additional state in South-East.
The bill, sponsored by a member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, passed the first reading and it is now set for a second reading.
According to the draft bill, the creation of Orlu State will alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended), increasing the number of states in the federation from 36 to 37.
The new state will be carved out from Imo, Abia and Anambra states, with Orlu as its capital city.
Reacting to the development, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the Igbo people needed a referendum to exit Nigeria and not the creation of an additional state.
He said, “We don’t want more state in Igboland; creating more state in Igboland means creating more confusion and hatred among the Ndigbo. The already existing states have not been well managed by Nigeria and now they want to create more confusion.
“The cost of governance is increasing on a daily basis in Nigeria; certainly, the new state will not be well managed like others.
“Most of the existing states in the country are not viable and they want to add more confusion and problem.
“The creation of more states is not our problem. All we want is a total referendum to determine whether the Ndigbo would like to remain in Nigeria or not. The Ndigbo want total freedom.”
