Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, the state capital, has declared the creation of the 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) by the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as unconstitutional and illegal.
According to the presiding judge, Justice A.O Adebusuoye, the LCDAs were not lawfully created.
Akeredolu had in Spetember 2023 signed the bill establishing the councils into law after it was passed by the state House of Assembly members, after the third reading.
The newly created LCDAs are co-existing with the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state, bringing the total into 51.
Akeredolu was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), ex-president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and ex-Attorney General of Ondo State.
He governed Ondo from February 24, 2017 till his unfortunate death on December 27, 2023. His deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was immediately sworn in as governor.