Senate Refutes Alleged Decision to Create 12 Additional States in Constitution Amendment 

The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has formally refuted circulating social media reports suggesting the approval of 12 new states across the nation.

Addressing the Senate chamber on Tuesday under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) unequivocally dismissed these reports as false, asserting that the Senate has not reached any resolution regarding state creation, and the alleged list of new states is entirely fictitious.

“It is crucial to inform Nigerians that the Senate has not yet decided on any committee’s report concerning the creation of states.”

“As a member of the Committee on Constitution Review, I can categorically affirm that we have not received any reports from the zonal public hearings.

We have also not convened to deliberate on any such bill. The circulating information is false, and Nigerians should ignore it,” Senator Ningi declared.

He further elucidated that the chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, who was present during the plenary, also confirmed that no such decision has been made.

Responding to the motion, Senate President Godswill Akpabio warned against the growing tide of misinformation on social media, describing it as an increasing threat to national unity and public trust.

“Senator Ningi raised this under Order 42, which does not allow for debate. However, the issue he highlighted is clear,” Akpabio stated. “Fake news has become a perilous trend. I have consistently stated that social media, in its current form, is a case of garbage in, garbage out.”

The Senate President expressed concern over the misuse of digital platforms, citing instances in which forged documents are circulated online to deceive the public.

“There are cases where fake appointment rejection letters are fabricated and disseminated, and regrettably, people believe them,” he lamented. “The public should be aware that the Senate has not concluded or even received the final report from the Constitution Review Committee.”

Akpabio went on to elucidate the constitutional process required for state creation. “Any proposal for a new state must undergo several legal and democratic stages, including approval by two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly before it can reach the National Assembly for further consideration. This has not transpired.”

He also dismissed images and posts depicting committees allegedly meeting to plan for their newly “created” states as products of social media fiction.

“No state has been created by the 10th National Assembly. I urge the public to disregard any such claims,” Akpabio concluded.

This clarification follows the widespread circulation of a fabricated news report published on July 18, 2025, claiming that the Senate had approved the creation of 12 new states following the adoption of a committee report. The states listed in the false report included:

South West: Ijebu (from Ogun), Ibadan (from Oyo)

South East: Anim (from Anambra/Imo), Adada (from Enugu)

South South: Toru-Ibe (from Ondo/Edo/Delta), Obolo (from Akwa Ibom)

North East: Savanna (from Borno), Amana (from Adamawa)

North West: Tiga (from Kano), Gurara (from Kaduna)

North Central: Okura (from Kogi), Apa (from Benue)

The Senate has now confirmed that no such states have been created, and any such claims are unfounded.