S/Court verdict on LGAs: PDP tells Ondo Attorney General to resign

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State chapter, has called for the immediate resignation of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo, Kayode Ajulo, for “violating his oath of office.”

The call is the sequel to a statement by Mr Ajulo that the appointment of Transition Committees for the 18 Local Governments and 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) was the constitutional right of the State Governor.

The PDP argued that Mr Ajulo’s claim was not backed by any portion of the Constitution referred to in the statement.

“If a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is expected to know the laws of our land is the person urging Lucky Aiyedatiwa on to trample on our Constitution and Supreme Court pronouncement, then, he no longer deserves to serve as the Chief Law Officer of the state,” Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kennedy Peretei, said in a statement on Friday.

“In a landmark judgment on Thursday, 11 July, a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared that democratically elected Local Government leadership was sacrosanct and non-negotiable.

“Justice Emmanuel Agim who delivered the judgment, said ‘state governments are perpetuating a dangerous trend by refusing to allow democratically-elected Local Government Councils to function, instead appointing their loyalists who can only be removed by them,” the PDP statement said.

The PDP stressed that it was very unfortunate that Ajulo tried in vain to legitimise the illegality of the state governor on the same day the Supreme Court made the declaration.

It sought to know which Constitution Mr Ajulo referred to as authority for appointing the Transition Committees, adding that no one could put something on nothing and expect it to stand.

“Our party wishes to advise those appointed into these offices not to allow themselves to be used. Every kobo they spend in these phantom offices will be legally recovered from them.

“Since Kayode Ajulo is incapable of advising the governor according to law, he is advised to resign immediately,” the PDP statement added.

READ ALSO: PDP condemns Aiyedatiwa’s appointment of caretaker committees for Ondo LGs, LCDAs

Mr Ajulo had, in defence of the action of the state government in the appointment of transition committees, said the governor acted within his powers.

“Appointment of Transition Committees is a lawful exercise of the Governor’s constitutional powers,” Mr Ajulo said in a statement on Thursday.

“The Committees are intended to ensure seamless transition and continuity of government business in the affected areas,” he added.

He also said that the state government has appealed the judgment of a high court nullifying the creation of the newly created 33 LCDAs, legitimising the appointment of caretaker committees for them.