Court Scraps Ondo 33 Local Council Development Areas

An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, on Thursday, scrapped the 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by the administration of late former Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

It declared the creation as unconstitutional and illegal.

Presiding Judge, Justice A.O Adebusuoye, said the LCDAs were not lawfully created.

In August 2023, the Ondo State Assembly passed the bill for the creation of additional LCDAs after Akeredolu transmitted the bill for its creation to the lawmakers.

The development comes months after the Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure restrained Governor Rotimi Akeredolu from inaugurating the newly appointed caretaker committees for the 51 local government areas and local council development areas (LCDAs) of the state.

Justice Yemi Fasanmi granted an interlocutory injunction to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state on Tuesday, pending the determination of the suit.

The court also restrained the Ondo State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Attorney General of Ondo State, who are joint defendants in the case.

The PDP approached the court in Akure in a suit marked: AK/390/2023, praying the court to stop the defendants from inaugurating the Interim Management Committees for the LGAs and LCDAs.