By Mick Oseji, Asaba
A loyalist of jailed separatist figure Simon Ekpa has issued a stern warning to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Ned Nwoko over the proposed creation of Anioma State from Delta State.
Ngozi Orabueze, who identifies herself as Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the self-styled “United States of Biafra,” cautioned against any move to include Anioma within Nigeria’s political structure, insisting the region belongs to the defunct Biafra Republic her group seeks to revive.
The controversy follows renewed momentum for the Anioma State proposal after Akpabio, speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) South-South Zonal Congress in Asaba, threw his weight behind the initiative championed by Nwoko. He stated that the proposed state would have Asaba as its capital, while Warri would serve as the capital of a restructured Delta State.
“Anioma State will be created, with Asaba as its capital. The Senate fully supports the initiative spearheaded by Senator Ned Nwoko,” Akpabio declared, adding that the move would usher in development and shared prosperity for the people.
But Orabueze rejected the proposal, claiming Anioma forms part of the territories declared under a revived Biafra structure in 2024. In a statement posted on X, she warned that any attempt to incorporate the area into what she described as a “Nigeria state project” would be resisted.
She further called on residents of Anioma to support a parallel leadership she named for the region and to oppose both Akpabio and Nwoko, as well as the current Nigerian government.
The development adds a new dimension to the long-running agitation for Biafra, even as calls for state creation continue to stir political debate in the South-South region.
