An Ondo State High Court in Akure nullified the establishment of 33 LCDAs formed by the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s administration, deeming the creation unconstitutional and illegal.
Presiding Judge Justice A.O. Adebusuoye stated that the creation of the LCDAs was not carried out lawfully.
The leaders of four Akoko local governments including Akoko Southeast, Akoko Southwest, Akoko Northwest, and Akoko Northeast through their lawyer, Mr. Tolu Babaleye, had dragged the state government to court alleging marginalisation in the creation of the LCDA by Akeredolu’s government.
The court agreed with the plaintiffs and held that the creation of the LCDAS did not comply with sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution and that there was no equitable distribution of the council areas among the existing local governments.
The creation of the LCDAs has been a subject of controversy, with some communities protesting the move, describing it as a political exercise aimed at ceding their ancestral lands to other communities.
The Ondo State House of Assembly had passed a bill for the creation of the LCDAs, which was signed into law by the former Governor.
The newly created LCDAs were to co-exist with the existing 18 local governments in the state, bringing the total number of Local Councils in the state to 51.
The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Oladiji Olamide, had saluted the visionary leadership of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for choosing to tow the line of other southwest states which had earlier created their LCDAS with a view to fast-tracking development at the grassroots.
However, the court’s decision has nullified the creation of the LCDAs, and it remains to be seen what the next step will be for the state government and the affected local governments.
