(DDM) – The intensifying campaign for the creation of Anioma State has triggered a new wave of debate, caution, and criticism across Delta North following the National Assembly’s recent moves on state creation.
Diaspora Digital Media DDM gathered that lawmakers had earlier approved a recommendation to create six additional states, including one for the Southeast, to balance the geopolitical structure where each zone except the Southeast already has six states.
The joint committee of the National Assembly also reviewed more than 270 separate proposals for new states across the country.
The committee further advised all state-creation advocates to embark on broad consultation with their constituents before making submissions.
This advisory has pushed many agitators into heightened activity, especially in Delta North where Senator Ned Nwoko has revived the long-standing Anioma State movement.
Nwoko’s renewed proposal includes a controversial twist: Anioma should not join the South-South where Delta State currently belongs but should instead serve as the sixth state of the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This idea has sharply divided opinion among political actors and local communities, including stakeholders in the Ndokwa bloc who initially opposed the plan over what they described as poor consultation.
Several Ndokwa figures who once rejected the senator’s proposals are reportedly re-aligning with his movement amidst intense persuasion and behind-the-scenes political courtship.
Critics, however, are warning that many of the new converts may be “buying into a fantasy” without examining the complexities.
Opponents argue that numerous red flags surrounding the senator’s political conduct have been dismissed too easily.
They insist that as a representative of Delta North, Nwoko’s public behaviour has grown increasingly controversial and does not reflect the values of his constituency.
Some argue that his idea of consultation, such as hosting supposed political engagements in Akwa Ibom instead of Delta, defies logic and demonstrates poor commitment to meaningful dialogue.
Concern is also growing over the proposed realignment of Delta North with the Southeast at a time when the Southeast faces widespread insecurity linked to IPOB and its militant wing, ESN.
Security agencies in Delta State have previously reported that many violent crimes, including armed robberies around Asaba, are carried out by gangs crossing the Niger Bridge from the Southeast.
Many residents argue that forcing a peaceful, multiethnic region like Delta North into a zone experiencing insurgent-style violence is politically reckless.
Cultural and historical arguments have also surfaced, with many recalling the strong Bendel identity that shaped the old Midwest, Bendel State, Edo, and Delta’s shared experiences.
Residents note that this identity runs deep in sports, culture, social life, and inter-regional cooperation built over decades.
For many, belonging to the South-South is not simply a geopolitical designation but a continuation of long-standing kinship with Edo, Isoko, Urhobo, Itsekiri, and other groups.
Critics argue that Southeastern sociopolitical dynamics differ substantially and should be preserved by those who belong to that region rather than imposed on a people with a different historical evolution.
Some analysts insist that Delta North’s communal ties cannot be uprooted because of one politician’s ambitions.
Older residents recall sports competitions, scouting events, and cultural exchanges across Bendel communities which helped build enduring unity.
They say these shared experiences formed the moral and social ethos still visible in Delta today.
Many believe that the Anioma-to-Southeast proposal disregards this history and risks destabilising the region’s delicate political balance.
Opponents insist that the call for Anioma State, especially under Nwoko’s Southeastern alignment vision, is less about equity and more about individual political aspirations.
Aggrieved stakeholders argue that the senator’s proposals are detached from grassroots realities and ignore warnings from constitutional review committees about proper consultation.
They emphasise that the Ndokwa nation and Delta North must not be dragged into what they describe as “the fantasies of a political adventurer.”
They maintain that any state-creation plan must reflect the collective will of the people, not the personal ambitions of a single politician.