Akure, Ondo State – June 20, 2024 - The Akure High Court has rendered a landmark judgment nullifying the creation of 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) by former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. The judgment, delivered by Justice Adebusola, underscores significant constitutional breaches in the creation of the LCDAs.

Justice Adebusola ruled that the Local Government Creation Law 2023, signed by Governor Akeredolu in Ibadan, outside Ondo State, is unconstitutional. The judgment highlighted that it is illegal for a Governor to sign a law outside the jurisdiction of their own state, rendering the law and the creation of the LCDAs null and void.

The court's decision reinstates the original 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ondo State. It was noted that the process of creating the 33 LCDAs did not adhere to the steps stipulated by Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. Specifically, there was no referendum conducted to confirm the creation, which is a fundamental requirement for such an administrative change.

Justice Adebusola stated, “The creation of the 33 LCDAs is unconstitutional, illegal, null, void, and of no effect whatsoever. The actions taken by the former Governor in this regard are beyond the legal bounds set by our Constitution.”

Speaking after the judgment in Akure, Barr. Tolu Babaleye stated that “the ruling serves as a crucial reminder of the constitutional boundaries within which state governance must operate and reaffirms the legal processes necessary for administrative alterations.”