Everything that is shared in this Country, the Southeast gets the least. I call this systemic marginalization, Tinubu should do something about it -Joe Igbokwe

Joe Igbokwe has renewed calls for the creation of an additional state in the South East, arguing that the region consistently receives the least share of national resources due to its disadvantaged structural position within Nigeria’s federal system.

In a Facebook post directed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC stalwart stated that the unequal number of states across geopolitical zones has entrenched what he termed “systemic marginalization” against the South East. He stressed that state creation is not merely symbolic but central to how power, resources, and representation are distributed in Nigeria.

“Everything that is shared in this Country the SE Nigeria gets the least. I call this systemic marginalization,” Igbokwe wrote.

He explained that states determine the number of senators, members of the House of Representatives, federal constituencies, local governments, and access to federal projects. With only five states, the South East is structurally disadvantaged compared to zones with six or seven states.

Responding to arguments that the South East is too small in land mass to warrant another state, Igbokwe cited international examples, including Rhode Island in the United States, which has a population of about 500,000 people but enjoys equal status with much larger and wealthier states like California.

According to him, land mass should not be used as a justification for inequality, especially when fairness and inclusion are at stake.

Igbokwe urged President Tinubu to view the issue as a nation-building responsibility rather than a political concession. He warned that persistent exclusion breeds resentment and fuels agitation, particularly among younger generations who feel disconnected from the Nigerian project.

He added that correcting the imbalance would not only restore confidence in the federal system but also reaffirm the principle that all regions matter equally in Nigeria’s commonwealth