Without recourse to the Supreme Court judgement that gives financial autonomy to the 774 local government areas of the federation, and the court verdict that nullified the creation of the Local Government Development Areas in Ondo State, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered all the appointed transition committees to assume office.
Aiyedatiwa released the list of 357 members of the transition committees to run the affairs of the 33 LCDAs, which has been nullified by an Akure High Court, and the existing 18 Local Government Areas of the state on Thursday morning few hours before the Supreme Court handed down its unanimous judgement on the autonomy of the 774 local government areas in the federation.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the funds meant for the 774 local governments in the federation would be released directly to the democratically elected executives of the local governments henceforth.
It would be recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, through the Attorney General of the federation, filed the suit before the Supreme Court to determine the fiscal independence of the 774 local governments in the federation, but Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had through Ondo State Attorney General filed a reply countering the prayers of the president in the suit.
The Supreme Court, however, granted the prayers of the President granting the 774 local governments of the federation financial autonomy.
But Governor Aiyedatiwa didn’t give the two judgements any consideration as he asked his appointed transition committees to assume duties immediately in the 18 local government areas and the nullified 33 LCDAs with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Amidu Takuro, had explained Ondo State was not the only state affected by the apex court verdict, saying the local government election could not be conducted in a hurry but had to comply with the Electoral Act.
He noted that the transition committees needed no formal inauguration since their appointment reads that it takes immediate effect.
According to him, “No fewer than 21 states are affected and this is not peculiar to Ondo State alone. The governors will be meeting in Abuja during the week and there is still room for negotiations and there’s no need for rush.
“Judgement does not take immediate effect, even at that, we cannot conduct local government election immediately. There are procedures for election, so, we will study the judgement.
“Again, the Federal Government will not want to punish the local government workers by withholding their salaries or getting their allocation to them, though we have no option than to concur with the judgement, but it cannot be immediately.”