HoRs Member, Etanabene, Sponsors Bill To Rename Sapele, Okpe LGAs As Okpe West, Okpe East

A member of the House of Representatives representing the Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency, Hon. Benedict Etanabene, has sponsored a bill seeking to rename Sapele and Okpe Local Government Areas in Delta State as Okpe West and Okpe East respectively.

The proposed legislation, known as House of Representatives Bill 1314 (HB 1314), seeks to amend the First Schedule, Part I of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to reflect the proposed changes.

According to the bill, the current designation of Okpe Local Government Area would be changed to Okpe East, while Sapele Local Government Area would be renamed Okpe West.

The proposed constitutional amendment is aimed at aligning the names of the local government areas with what proponents describe as their true geographical identities and administrative realities.

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Supporters of the bill argue that the proposed changes would provide a clearer framework for representation and better reflect the historical and socio-political realities of the communities within the affected local government areas.

The bill has been introduced for legislative consideration but remains at the proposal stage. It will have to pass through the required legislative processes in the National Assembly and satisfy constitutional amendment requirements before the changes can take effect.

If approved, the amendment would formally recognize Okpe East and Okpe West as the official constitutional names of the present-day Okpe and Sapele Local Government Areas in Delta State.