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A member of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Victor Umeh, has described Nigeria’s current constitutional framework as unfair to the South-East geopolitical zone.
He blamed Military-era decisions for structural discrepancy that continue to marginalise the region, adding that South-East remains the most underrepresented zone in Nigeria with only five States and 95 Local Government Areas (LGAs) out of a national total of 774. He highlighted a glaring disparity.
While speaking on the need for Constitutional amendments during an engagement in Ebonyi State, Umeh said: “The first problem is that the constitution we operate today was not produced through a democratic, civilian process. It was a military constitution, crafted by a military government that imposed a structure of governance which has consistently disadvantaged the Southeast.”
“The Southwest has 137 LGAs, South-South over 100, and the North-West, the most favoured, has States like Kano with 44 LGAs and Jigawa with 38. These structural imbalances have lasting consequences on federal appointments, resource allocation, and representation.”
Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, said the number of States and Local Governments is a factor in federal resource distribution, civil service recruitment, and Ministerial appointments.
He argued, “Ministers are appointed from the States. We have only five Ministers from the South-East, while other zones with more States have more representation. The current administration has up to eight Ministers from some regions, and we have just five.”
Umeh expressed worry over the difficulty encountered in amending the Constitution to correct these anomalies, describing the process as herculean, but expressed optimism that the rest of the country would support a fair solution.
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