Proposals for new Southwest states gain ground in Nigeria’s National Assembly, but constitutional hurdles and public support requirements threaten their progress
Proposals for the creation of new Southwest states gained fresh momentum in Nigeria’s National Assembly this week, as multiple constitutional amendment bills seeking to carve out new administrative units advanced amid growing governance and representation concerns.
Also read: Kwankwaso Warns Governor Yusuf Over NNPP Defection
Lawmakers from the region are sponsoring bills for new states including Ijebu, Coastal, Ibadan, Igbomina and a proposed New Oyo State, arguing that additional states would improve governance, enhance development and bring government closer to the people.
Nigeria currently operates a federal system of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, grouped into six geopolitical zones.
Any alteration to this structure requires a constitutional amendment under Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, a process widely regarded as arduous and politically sensitive.
In Ogun State, a bill to create Ijebu State passed its second reading in the House of Representatives in October 2025.
The proposal, sponsored by Olufemi Ogunbanwo and three other lawmakers, seeks to carve the new state out of existing Ogun State.
Former governor and senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has cautioned that internal unity among Ijebu local governments would be crucial for the proposal’s success.
In neighbouring Ondo State, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim is championing the creation of a Coastal State.
The bill passed its first reading in the Senate in 2024, with the sponsor arguing that the proposed state, drawn from Ondo South, would be economically viable and capable of sustaining itself as a federating unit.
Another proposal seeks the creation of Igbomina State from parts of Osun and Kwara states.
Leaders of the Igbomina community say the move would reunite culturally linked communities under one administrative structure, stressing that the demand is constitutional and not separatist in nature.
In Oyo State, momentum is also building around two related proposals. A bill seeking to create Ibadan State, with Ibadan as its capital, passed second reading in the House of Representatives in October 2025.
Separately, lawmakers are proposing a New Oyo State, with Oyo town as capital, alongside a renaming of the existing Oyo State to Ibadan State.
Traditional authorities, including the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, have publicly endorsed the Ibadan State proposal.
Despite the flurry of legislative activity, analysts note that creating new states remains a formidable challenge.
The constitution requires approval by two-thirds of the National Assembly, endorsement by at least two-thirds of state assemblies, and broad public support through referendums or consultations.
Nigeria has not created a new state since 1996, when six states were added under military rule, bringing the total to 36.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, repeated attempts at state creation have stalled at various stages of the constitutional process.
Also read: Kwankwaso Warns Governor Yusuf Over NNPP Defection
As debates continue, the push for new Southwest states underscores long-standing tensions between demands for closer governance and the political realities of constitutional reform in Africa’s most populous country.
