We, the Indigenous People of the Igbo Nation for Self-Determination, issue this public statement in response to recent comments attributed to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as conveyed through the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Samson Osagie, during the public hearing on the proposed creation of Anioma State.
The Governor’s declaration that “no part of Edo State should be carved out to join other states in the creation of new states” reflects a narrow interpretation of territorial integrity and disregards both the spirit and letter of democratic self-governance within a federal system.
Let it be unequivocally stated: the call for Anioma State is not a demand for secession or external self-determination. Rather, it is a legitimate internal reconfiguration within the constitutional framework of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It reflects the aspiration of indigenous Igbo communities—some of whom reside in present-day Edo State—to be administratively situated within a sub-national unit that affirms their cultural identity, linguistic heritage, and collective developmental interests.
It is imperative, therefore, to recall the enduring words of Judge Dillard of the International Court of Justice:
“It is for the people to determine the destiny of the territory, and not the territory the destiny of the people.”
This principle—though originally situated in the context of decolonisation—has broader normative value in any system that claims to respect the dignity and agency of its constituent communities.
In a federal democracy such as Nigeria, the redrawing of internal state boundaries, or the creation of new states, is neither new nor illegitimate. The process is embedded within the constitutional order and requires the consent of the affected populations, not merely the fiat of existing state governments. Therefore, any assertion that no portion of Edo State “must” join a newly proposed state like Anioma sounds like a unilateral veto power. Such a position would fundamentally contravene the principle that sovereignty resides with the people, not with the government structures that temporarily administer them.
The Igbo communities in Edo State—whose historical, cultural, and ethnic affiliations naturally connect them to their kinsfolk in Delta and other eastern regions—retain the right to be part of conversations concerning any realignment of political boundaries that affects them. This is not a matter of sentiment, but of constitutional and democratic right.
We, therefore, urge the Edo State Government to engage with this discourse in a manner that respects the participatory spirit of federalism, the rule of law, and the rights of indigenous peoples. The creation of Anioma State, if realised, must be the outcome of inclusive deliberation, constitutional procedure, and the freely expressed will of the people—not the consequence of bureaucratic obstruction or political paternalism.
History will not be kind to those who place the sanctity of artificial borders above the legitimate aspirations of the communities who inhabit them.
Uche Mefor is the Convenor of the Igbo-Biafra Nationalists and the Indigenous People of Igbo Nation for Self-determination
