Zakir Babah, a constitutional lawyer has waded into the ongoing controversy between the Attorney General of Ondo State, Dr Kayode Ajulo, SAN and the opposition party of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over their recent statement calling for Dr Ajulo’s resignation.
He said, ” The PDP’s accusations are baseless and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the legal and constitutional provisions surrounding the appointment of Transition Committees.
Mr Babah, who is one of the associates of Dr Ajulo said, Ajulo’s cerebral thinking is top top notch and that only those versed in the knowledge of law and it’s principle that will understand Dr Ajulo’s unblemished legal reasoning.
In a statement made available to the press, on Friday, he said, “It is important to emphasize with due respect, the chronology of events, dates and neutral evidence that the Supreme Court’s judgment was delivered with emphasis “after” the appointments and that the judgement affirmed the position of three tiers of government under the constitution for development, the importance of democracy and duly elected Local Governments and I salute the undertaking of the Supreme Court for the judgment which is good for our jurisprudence.
The Transition Committees, were appointed on July 10th, 2024, before the Supreme Court judgment was delivered. This action was taken to ensure bridge continuity of governance and smooth transistion within the governor’s powers.”
The Supreme Court’s decision is final, but this does not preclude the procedural steps required for its implementation.
Haven said that he went on to state that the judgment did not bar Governor Aiyedatiwa from exercising his executive and constitutional powers to ensure effective governance during transitions.
He also stated that in his observation, the Ondo State Governor is committed to upholding the law and ensuring a smooth transition that aligns with judicial directives.
Mr Babah said that the legality of the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) is ongoing legal proceedings, which is presently under appeal.
“The PDP’s call for Dr Ajulo’s resignation is hypocritical of the good deeds.
Just last week, the court asked the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate to stop parading himself as a candidate, yet the PDP appealed, and their candidate has continued to campaign all over Edo State. If the PDP believes in the validity of the appeal process for their candidate, they should extend the same understanding to the ongoing intervention by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to ensure that the business of government is not grounded and to bring governance to the grassroots.
“It is also worth noting the inconsistency in the PDP’s stance. They remain silent on their candidates, who continue to hold office despite the tribunals and courts ruling to vacate their respective offices, pending an appeal.
The PDP’s selective outrage is not only misleading but undermines their credibility.” Babah added.
The senior lawyer reiterated that the appointment of Transition Committees is a lawful exercise aimed at maintaining governance stability. He said the committees are temporary measures to ensure that grass-roots participation in governance continues to function effectively until democratically elected officials assume office.
This approach is not unique to Ondo State and is practised to prevent administrative lacuna.
Again, he warned, the PDP should respect, be seen to upholding the rule of law and allow the legal process to run its full course, saying resorting to inflammatory rhetoric and baseless accusations only serves to distract from the genuine efforts of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to ensure good governance for all citizens of Ondo State.
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