A coalition of Akoko indigenes in the northern senatorial district of Ondo State has called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to dissolve the 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) currently operating in the state, following a High Court judgment nullifying their creation.
The demand was made under the umbrella of the Akoko Development Initiative (ADI) — a coalition comprising the Akoko Development Group (ADG), the Akoko Consultative Forum (ACF), and the Oka Community.
In a statement jointly signed by Fola Amure, Secretary of ADI, and Ibukun Rogbitan, Chairman of ACF, the group urged the governor to commence a fresh and lawful process for establishing new LCDAs in compliance with constitutional provisions.
The coalition referenced the 2024 judgment delivered by Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye of the Ondo State High Court, which declared the creation of the LCDAs by the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as unconstitutional, null, and void.
According to the court, the process violated the mandatory provisions of Sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and ordered the immediate dissolution of the affected councils while restraining the state government from taking further actions regarding them.
However, the Akoko leaders expressed concern over what they described as the state government’s “deliberate disobedience” to the judgment. They alleged that despite the court ruling, the Aiyedatiwa administration continues to operate the dissolved LCDAs, appoint officials, and spend public funds on them.
They noted that prominent Akoko figures — including former Deputy Governor Ali Olanusi and elder statesman Seinde Arogbofa — had previously met with Governor Aiyedatiwa, who reportedly assured them that the “imbalance” and “lopsidedness” highlighted in the court ruling would be properly addressed.
