The Ondo State Government has outlined the steps it intends to take regarding Thursday’s court judgment nullifying the creation of the 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
In a statement made on Friday in Akure, the state capital, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Kayode Ajulo expressed the state government’s response to the verdict.
The LCDAs were established by the Ondo State Government under the administration of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who appointed Lucky Aiyedatiwa as his deputy.
However, a judge of the state High Court, A.O Adebusuoye, nullified them in his judgment on Thursday, describing them as inchoate and unlawfully created.
The court held that it was illegal for a governor to sign a law outside the state.
The Local Government Creation Law 2023, which was signed outside the state in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, by the late Akeredolu, was declared by the court to be illegal, unconstitutional, and invalid.
Akeredolu, who was down with cancer, assented to the bill on 9 September 2023, creating 33 LCDAs from the 18 constitutionally-recognised Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
The Ondo State Government, however, declared on Friday that it had acknowledged the ruling of the state High Court and had asked for a certified accurate copy.
Ajulo added that he would prepare a legal opinion and submit it to the state administration after reviewing the ruling.
“Subsequently, all necessary measures, in accordance with our laws, will be taken to safeguard the interests of our citizens, foster peaceful coexistence, and uphold the rule of law.
