Senator Victor Umeh, a member of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, has strongly criticised Nigeria’s current constitutional structure, describing it as unfair and biased against the South-East.
Speaking during a constitutional review session in Ebonyi State, the Anambra Central senator said the 1999 Constitution was not created through a democratic process and continues to marginalise the South-East in critical areas such as representation, appointments, and development.
“It’s a military constitution that imposed a structure disadvantaging the South-East,” Umeh said. “The injustice is clear — we have the least number of states and local government areas in the country.”
He explained that the South-East has only five states and 95 local government areas, while other zones have significantly more. For example, the North-West has 186 LGAs, the South-West has 137, and the South-South has over 100.
“These numbers determine how federal resources are shared, how ministers are appointed, and how delegates are chosen for party primaries,” Umeh said. “This is not just political — it affects our economic growth and national relevance.”
He also noted that the South-East has only five ministers in the current administration, unlike zones with more states that enjoy up to eight ministerial slots.
Umeh referenced the 2014 National Conference, where delegates agreed that the South-East should get at least one more state to reduce the gap. He stressed that even if no other state is created in Nigeria, one more state for the South-East is necessary for fairness and national unity.
The senator also called for deeper constitutional reforms, including the creation of state police to improve security and make law enforcement more effective at the local level.
“We need to decentralise policing. The current structure is not working. Even the Governors’ Forum is coming around to support state police,” he added.
Although acknowledging that a total overhaul of the constitution may be difficult now, Umeh urged lawmakers to pursue practical amendments in the meantime.
“Injustice is like an open wound,” he said. “Only fairness and truth can heal it. We must act with conscience to build a united Nigeria.”
The 1999 Constitution, originally drafted under military rule, has long been criticised for concentrating power at the federal level and failing to reflect Nigeria’s diversity and democratic aspirations. Calls for restructuring and constitutional reforms have remained a key issue, especially in the South-East.
