A civil society organisation, Ondo Redemption Front (ORF), has raised alarm over what it described as the strangulation of local government administration in Ondo State.
At a press briefing in Akure, ORF Chairman, Ayodeji Ologun, accused the state government of frustrating the Federal Government’s effort to strengthen grassroots governance through local government autonomy.
Ologun called on the Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation to revisit the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on council autonomy, stressing that governance in the state had been reduced to “mere pronouncements and endless political shadowboxing.”
According to him, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa must “wake up and face the sacred trust he has been handed,” adding that true governance requires listening, planning, and decisive action.
“You will recall that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation approached the Supreme Court to give life to our local governments. The reliefs sought were granted, and Nigerians were assured that local governments would access their funds directly from the federation account for effective administration,” Ologun said.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state dismissed ORF’s position as baseless, describing it as a desperate attempt to malign an elected government.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the ruling party said Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration remains “resolute in delivering on its electoral mandate with commendable prudence and foresight.”
On the issue of council autonomy, the APC maintained that the government operates “strictly within the legal and constitutional framework guiding the three tiers of government.”
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