From Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has officially denied reports making the rounds on social media that it has approved the creation of 12 new states across the country.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Abdul Ningi ( Bauchi Central ) dismissed the report as fake, stating emphatically that the Senate has not taken any decision on state creation and that the purported list of new states was entirely fabricated.
“It is imperative to inform Nigerians that the Senate has not, for now, decided on any committee’s report on the creation of states”.
“As a member of the Committee on Constitution Review, I can categorically state that we are yet to receive the reports from the zonal public hearings.
We have also not convened to deliberate on any such bill. What is circulating is false, and Nigerians should disregard it, Senator Ningi declared.
He further clarified that the chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, who was present during plenary, had also confirmed that no such decision had been reached.
Reacting to the motion, Senate President Godswill Akpabio cautioned against the rising wave of misinformation on social media, describing it as a growing threat to national cohesion and public trust.
“Senator Ningi came under Order 42, which does not permit debate. However, the matter he raised is straightforward,” Akpabio said. “Fake news has become a dangerous trend. I have always said social media, in its current form, is garbage in, garbage out.”
The Senate President expressed concern over the misuse of digital platforms, citing instances where forged documents have been circulated online to mislead the public.
“You’ll see situations where fake appointment rejection letters are created and circulated, and unfortunately, people believe them,” he lamented. “The public should note that the Senate has not concluded or even received the final report of the Constitution Review Committee.”
Akpabio went on to clarify the constitutional process required for state creation. “Any proposal for a new state must pass through 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 happened.”
He also dismissed images and posts showing 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.
The clarification follows the widespread circulation of a fake news report published on July 18, 2025, which claimed 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 that any such claims are baseless.
