Court Scraps Ondo’s New 33 LCDAs

*Ajayi kicks, says it’s anti-people

Fidelis David in Akure

An Ondo State High Court, yesterday, declared the creation of 33 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs) by the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, of the state, as unconstitutional and illegal.
The Presiding Judge, Justice A.O Adebusuoye, said the LCDAs were not lawfully created and described them as inchoate and which did not comply with sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution.
Leaders of the four local governments in Akokoland, had approached the court to challenge the creation of the LCDAs in the area, alleging marginalisation of the area.

The leaders of the Akokoland, which included Akoko Southeast, Akoko Southwest, Akoko Northwest, and Akoko  Northeast, through their lawyers, Mr Tolu Babaleye, took the state government to court, challenging the marginalisation in the creation of the LCDAs.
However, Justice Adebusoye, in his judgment, held that the creation of the LCDAS did not comply with sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution.
He also agreed with the leaders of the four local government areas that there was no equitable distribution of the council areas among the existing local governments in the state.

Meanwhile,  the Akokoland leaders under the umbrella of the Akoko Development Initiative (ADI), who filed the suit, hailed the judgment, noting that the decision of the court represented the true position of law.
The ADI, in a statement by the claimants in the suit including former Speaker of State House of Assembly, Hon. Bakitta Bello, Matthew Ofosile, and Lawal Rogbitan, said the judgment represented the true position of law and the aspiration of the people of the four local governments of Akoko.

According to them, they noticed the lopsidedness in the recommendation from the Executive Council to the State House of Assembly for the creation of the 33 LCDAs, in July 2023, and made representation to the Government in letters addressed to the Governor and the Attorney General to correct the injustice meted to individual Local Government Areas and the entire Akoko land.
They said there was no adjustment made to the error pointed to the Executive Council before it forwarded its recommendation to the Ondo State House of Assembly for legislation.

“Given the protest at the House of Assembly by aggrieved citizens across the State, the House of Assembly adjusted her time-table which was designed to pass the bill in one sitting, to accommodate a hurriedly arranged public hearing on the bill.
“Representatives of Local Governments in Akoko presented memoranda at the hearing which was backed up with adequate records and data to assist the House arrive at equitable decisions.”

But the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, Agboola Ajayi, has condemned the decision of the court, saying,  it was anti-people and would hinder development of Ondo communities.

Ajayi, who accused the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of backing the suit, said the people preferred a government close to them, adding that, Aiyedatiwa filed a suit against local government autonomy.

“The judgment is anti-people. It will be promoting an agenda that will hinder rapid development of the communities.

“The Ondo State government is behing the suit. They must appeal the judgment. The suit filed by the PDP was not to totally abrogate the LCDAs but illegal inauguration of Caretaker Chairman.

“If an Owl files at night and a child dies the next day, you do not need to find out the cause of death,” he said.