Chief Dr. Stephen Akpotu became the chairman for the struggle for the creation of Delta State on the 15th of March 1980. After the collection of the required signatories from the eight local government councils that opted to join the state on the 1st of September 1980, he led a formidable delegation of Deltans to Lagos for the submission of the request to the senate president, Senator Joseph Wayas. After the presentation, the committee members continued the struggle for another ten years until it was created by the Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babanginda’s administration on August 27th 1991.