The long-running agitation for the creation of Anioma State took a decisive turn at the weekend when legislators representing Delta North Senatorial District in the Delta State House of Assembly and the Chairmen of the nine local government areas in the district issued a unified and emphatic rejection of proposals suggesting the location of Anioma State within the South East geopolitical zone.
In a strongly worded joint statement, the political leaders reaffirmed their full support for the creation of the State of Anioma, but insisted that the State must remain firmly within the South-South.
They described recent suggestions to merge Anioma with the Southeast as “vehemently opposed”, “non-negotiable” and contrary to the historical and cultural identity of the Anioma people.
The statement, endorsed by all elected representatives of Delta North, follows renewed national conversations and legislative commitments on the creation of additional states across the country.
According to the leaders, the revival of this national debate required a clear and collective position to avoid the misrepresentation of the aspirations of the Anioma people.
“Our quest for a distinct and autonomous Anioma State is not a fleeting political enterprise but a legitimate aspiration deeply rooted in history, championed by our revered ancestors and leaders,” the signatories declared.
Describing the search as a generational mission, they emphasized that Anioma’s dream is anchored in cultural identity, language, administrative continuity and the desire for accelerated development.
They reiterated that the envisioned Anioma State comprises the current nine local government areas of Delta North: Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika North East, Ika South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South and Ukwuani, with Asaba as its capital.
This configuration, they emphasized, aligns with the historical understanding and long-standing aspirations of the previous leaders who spearheaded the movement for Anioma recognition.
“The Anioma that our fathers envisioned and that we support is the Anioma that is made up of the nine local government areas of Delta North with its capital in Asaba,” the leaders stated, noting that any deviation from this established configuration would misrepresent the true vision of the founding advocates of Anioma.
The most forceful part of the statement was the explicit rejection of attempts to link Anioma with the Southeast.
While acknowledging ethnic and linguistic links between some Anioma communities and the Igbo-speaking region, leaders maintained that geopolitical alignment, administrative history and cultural evolution place Anioma squarely within the South-South.
“We make it unequivocally clear that we vehemently oppose any proposed movement or merger with any part of the South East geopolitical zone. The Anioma people are historically, geographically and administratively aligned with the South-South. This position is deeply rooted in our heritage and is non-negotiable,” the statement read.
According to them, forcing Anioma to shift to the southeast would not only distort historical facts but also undermine the political and development trajectory followed by the district over decades.
They insisted that geopolitical identity is not determined solely by shared ethnicity but by administrative structures and regional developments within the Nigerian federation.
Beyond rejecting the Southeast proposal, the leaders pledged to “actively lobby and support all legitimate efforts” to secure the creation of the Anioma state.
They described the creation of a state for the region as a matter of equity and justice, arguing that the Anioma people deserve a state of their own within the South-South just as other ethnic blocs within the region already possess.
“We are united in the belief that the creation of Anioma State is a necessary step to fulfill the political and developmental destiny of the people of Anioma,” they said, assuring that they would deploy their collective mandate, political capital and institutional influence in achieving this goal.