Ken Nnamani, former senate president, says the defeat of
former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term bid in 2006 hindered the
creation of a sixth state in the south-east.
Out of the six geopolitical zones that make up Nigeria, the
south-east is the only zone that has five states: Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu and
Ebonyi.
North-west consists of seven states while north-east,
north-central, south-west and south-south have six states each.
In his newly released book, ‘Standing Strong: Legislative
Reforms, Third Term and Other Issues of the 5th Senate’, Nnamani said the
proposal to create the sixth state in the south-east was “thrown out along with
the third term proposal”.
He said if not for the need to truncate Obasanjo’s bid, the
proposal would have fostered a “better geopolitical balance”.
Nnamani was the president of the Nigerian senate from April
2005 to May 2007.
The former senate president said the institutionalisation of
rotational presidency was among the other “casualties” of the failed third term
bid.
“The defeat of the
third term project left several casualties in its wake. Among these were many
of the people who stuck out their neck for and against the proposal,” he wrote.
“The excellent proposals in the amendment bill that were
thrown out along with the third term proposal and the very important issue of
trust in government.
“There were several proposed amendments in the third term
bill that would have been of great benefit to Nigeria that became casualties of
third term.
“Among these were the proposed amendments to the
administration of local governments, the removal of immunity clause from
criminal prosecution for political office holders, the insitutionalisation of
rotational presidency, provision for independent candidacy and fostering a
better geopolitical balance by enabling the creation of a sixth state for
south-east.
“In the end, it would
seem that the baby was thrown away with the bathwater.”
Nnamani had earlier said that many lawmakers sacrificed
their legislative careers after seeing to the truncation of the controversial
third term bid.
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