General News
IYLA Rejects Proposed Inclusion of Kogi in United Igbo Region
The Igala Youth Leaders Assembly (IYLA) Worldwide has rejected a proposal by the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT) for the inclusion of Igbo communities in Kogi and five other states in a proposed United Igbo Region.
The ILT recently proposed a new regional structure for Nigeria, including the five South-East states, prospective Anioma, Rivers State and Igbo communities in parts of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Edo and Kogi states. It also called for the temporary suspension of the 2027 general elections to allow for restructuring of the country.
Reacting in a statement signed by its Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. M.M. Audu; Director of Legal Services, Hon. Salifu Oguche, Esq.; and Director of Home Affairs, Hon. Philip Ojochegbe Omattah, the IYLA said Kogi State and the Igala people could not be incorporated into another ethnic region without their consent.
The group argued that the present boundaries of Kogi State, created in 1991, should not be used to define the historical territory and identity of the Igala people.
According to the IYLA, the Igala nation has its own language, culture, traditional institutions, and historical identity, and has never been under Igbo political authority.
It also argued that Igala communities found in parts of neighbouring states should not be regarded simply as outposts, saying their presence in those areas was connected to the historical territory of the Igala people.
The group further questioned the basis for including parts of Kogi in a proposed United Igbo Region without consultation with the Igala traditional institution, community leaders and the people concerned.
IYLA said it supported restructuring, resource control, regional policing and greater devolution of powers, but maintained that such reforms must be based on justice, equity and the consent of the affected peoples.
“Restructuring must be anchored on justice, equity and mutual consent,” the group said, warning that any arrangement based on the unilateral annexation of territories could create further tension.
The organisation also rejected the proposed suspension of the 2027 elections, insisting that the political future of the country and its constituent peoples should be determined through lawful democratic processes.
The ILT’s proposal remains a position advanced by the group as part of the wider debate on restructuring Nigeria; it is not an adopted national constitutional arrangement.
IYLA said the Igala people would continue to pursue their political, cultural and territorial interests through legitimate political, legal, and democratic means.
The group concluded that the Igala identity and political future were “non-negotiable” and that any restructuring of Nigeria must respect the rights and aspirations of all ethnic nationalities affected by the process.