By Ayodele Oni
Leaders from Akoko area of Ondo state are agitating for the scrapping of the Local Council Development Areas, (LCDA) based on an earlier court judgement which declared them illegal.
The state House of Assembly had passed the Bill creating the 33 LCDAs and signed into Law on the 9th of September, 2023 by the late Governor Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN.
The Akoko area, made up of four local governments had gone to court to challenge the creation as it did not favour the area.
The High Court, presided over by Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye on the 20th day of June 2024, painstakingly considered the pleas and made declarations favour of the plaintiffs
The court ruled among others ” That the creation of Local Government Areas Law, 2023 purportedly creating 33 LCDAs across the 18 Local Government Areas in Ondo State, signed into Law on 9th September 2023 was not valid in Law.”
Addressing a press conference in Akure on Tuesday, Representatives of Akoko Development Initiatives, chairman, Ibukun Rogbitan and Secretary, Fola Amure, noted that “Sadly, the LCDAs continue to operate, in clear disobedience to the judgement of the court.
“The Governor has taken some provocative actions that are of great concern and worry to us at Akoko Land. The Court made a judgment that was declarative and all reliefs granted therein were clear, straightforward and objective.
“The judgment, if implemented would ensure justice, peace and development in Ondo State, but we do not understand the reluctance of the Governor at obeying it.
“In spite of the promise by the Governor to initiate actions to redress the lopsidedness in the injustice, all the actions from the government have served to delay the progress of the State while sustaining the illegality of working against the decisions of a court of competent jurisdiction in this matter.
“It is illegal to keep on sustaining the LCDA Law, 2023 which was abrogated by the judgment of the Court.b. It is an illegality for the Government of Ondo State under the leadership of Hon. Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to appoint and retain personnel into the structures of the 33 LCDAs, which were dissolved by the judgment.
“All the funds which had been expended on the running of the LCDAs since they were defiantly set up are nugatory, illegal and not backed by Law. The act of expending the money is illegal, unconstitutional and a direct affront to the rule of Law.
“However, the action of the Governor to present the dissolved LCDAS to the visiting Committee of the National Assembly on Constitution amendment, to Ondo State, for recognition left a bitter taste in the mouth of the people because there is no justifiable reason for the Governor to hold Akoko Land and its people in distaste.
“In addition to the peaceful manner we have conducted our grievances, the result of the gubernatorial elections of November 2024 revealed the massive support of the Akoko people for the Governor; hence this seemingly deliberate assault on our peaceful mien is frustrating and beyond understanding.
“We appeal to the Governor to graciously review the situation in the spirit of peaceful co-existence to set the ball rolling to adjust the vexatious distribution of the LCDAs.
“A fresh directive by the Governor should raise a committee to obtain the inputs and interest of the people of the state to create an equitable number of LCDAs across the eighteen Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
“In order to ensure equity and justice for the four Local Government Areas of Akoko in the North Senatorial District of Ondo State, a minimum of eight LCDAs should be created from the four Local Government Areas of Akoko North East, Akoko North West, Akoko South East, and Akoko South West.”
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