Omo-Agege Blames Buhari for Ethiope State Delay, Vows Fresh Bill in 2027

• Omo-Agege says Buhari’s opposition to new states stalled the Ethiope State project despite his efforts as Constitution Review Committee chairman.

• Former Deputy Senate President pledges to sponsor the Ethiope State Creation Bill immediately if he returns to the Senate in 2027.

• He urges Delta Central lawmakers and the Urhobo Progress Union to unite and push the state creation campaign forward

Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, has attributed the failure to create Ethiope State during the Ninth National Assembly to the opposition of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, promising to reintroduce the proposal immediately if he returns to the Senate after the 2027 general elections.

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In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe, Omo-Agege said claims that he failed to pursue the creation of Ethiope State ignored the political realities that existed while he chaired the Senate Committee on Constitution Review.

According to the statement, Omo-Agege had presented constitutional amendment proposals, including requests for the creation of new states, to former President Buhari during a meeting involving the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. However, the former president reportedly made it clear that his administration would not support the creation of any new state.

The statement argued that proceeding with a state creation bill under those circumstances would have amounted to a futile exercise, as constitutional amendments of that nature require executive support to succeed.

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It maintained that rather than embark on what it described as “legislative theatre,” Omo-Agege chose to sustain engagement on the issue while awaiting a more favourable political climate.

The former Deputy Senate President’s camp said the situation has now changed, citing what it described as President Bola Tinubu’s openness to the creation of additional states.

It challenged current federal lawmakers representing Delta Central Senatorial District to explain why an Ethiope State Creation Bill has not been introduced despite what it called a more favourable environment.

The statement also criticised Senator Ede Dafinone, accusing him of failing to support the Ethiope State campaign and alleging that he publicly criticised those championing the agitation while supporting state creation elsewhere.

It, however, maintained that Omo-Agege never attacked any stakeholder involved in the struggle for Ethiope State and had remained committed to advancing the cause.

The statement pledged that if Ethiope State is not created before the 2027 elections and Omo-Agege returns to the Senate, he will sponsor the Ethiope State Creation Bill in the first legislative session and mobilise bipartisan support across the Senate and House of Representatives.

It also called on lawmakers from Delta Central, regardless of political affiliation, to work together in advancing the proposal, while urging the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to continue providing leadership and unity for the campaign.

According to the statement, the creation of Ethiope State is a collective aspiration of the Urhobo people that transcends political interests, urging all stakeholders to seize what it described as the current window of opportunity to actualise the long-standing demand.