**It’s constitutionally impossible to put Aye Kingdom under Igbotako – Community
A community, Aye Kingdom in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State has raised the alarm that constitutional crisis may surface in the State, over the proposed creation of 33 LCDAs out of the existing 18 local government areas in the state.
At a public hearing on the proposed creation of the LCDAs held on Thursday at the International Culture and Event Centre in Akure, some individuals suspected to be supporters of the Deji of Akure, Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, disrupted the presentation of the Iralepo of Isikan, Olugbenga Ojo on the need to create Isikan LCDA before the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, waded in to ensure orderliness.
Similarly, in a statement obtained by Starnews Nigeria on Friday, Ode Aye Kingdom has also reacted to the development in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Ondo State House Committee on Public Hearing on Local Council Development Area Creation.
The community explained that the bill before the House for the creation of Ikale North LCDA with Igbotako as the Headquarters is totally against the provision of the constitution of the Federal of Nigeria.
They protested that Aye kingdom, which is two times bigger than Igbotako cannot accept any LCDAs creation where Aye Kingdom will now be under Igbotako community.
Besides the above fact, the community also posited that Aye Kingdom with more than 200 towns and villages is presently under Okitipupa State Constituency 2 while Igbotako is under Okitipupa State Constituency 1, insisting that it is constitutionally wrong for the government to do so.”
According to them, “the creation of the Ikale North LCDA if not corrected, provides by implication that Okitipupa State Constituency 2 would be administered by Okitipupa State Constituency 1, which is constitutionally not possible because the two constituencies are independent and equal according to the law as one cannot be a subject of the other.”
Aye Kingdom said that the provisions of the Constitution do not give the powers for the creation of State Constituencies to either the State Governments or the State House of Assemblies, adding, however, that subjugating Aye kingdom in Okitipupa State Constituency 2 under Igbotako in Okitipupa State Constituency 1 is an attempt to trample on the Constitution of Nigeria.
The letter reads in part; “We the people of Aye Kingdom in Okitipupa LGA, hereby provide the followings as additional information to buttress our demand as clearly stated in our letter of protest dated and submitted on 31st July 2023 to the Rt Hon. Speaker of this 10th Assembly of Ondo State.
“Recall that Aye kingdom was subjugated under Igbotako in the proposed Ikale North Local Council Development Area (LCDA) from the present Okitipupa LGA.
“The bill before the House for the creation of Ikale North LCDA with Igbotako as the Headquarters and Aye kingdom as part of the communities under the LCDA is totally against the provision of the constitution of the Federal of Nigeria. This is because Aye, with more than 200 towns and villages, is presently in Okitipupa State Constituency 2 while Igbotako is in Okitipupa State Constituency 1.
“Therefore, the creation of the Ikale North LCDA if not corrected provides that a State Constituency is administered from another State Constituency. Whereas, the Constitution of Nigeria provides that; 112. Subject to the provisions of sections 91 and 113 of this Constitution, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall divide every state in the federation into such number of state constituencies as it is equal to three or four times the number of Federal constituencies within that state.
“113. The boundaries of each State constituency shall be such that the number of inhabitants thereof is as nearly equal to the population quota as is reasonably practicable.
“114. (1) The Independent National Electoral Commission shall review the division of every State into constituencies at intervals of not less than ten years, and may alter such constituencies in accordance with the provisions of this section to such extent as it may consider desirable in the light of the review.
“(2) The Independent National Electoral Commission may at any time carry out such a review and alter the constituencies in accordance with the provisions of this section to such extent as it considers necessary resulting in any alteration of the boundaries of the State or by reason of the holding of a census of the population of Nigeria in pursuance of an Act of the National Assembly.
“115. Where the boundaries of any State constituency established under section 112 of this Constitution are altered in accordance with the provisions of section 114 of this Constitution, that alteration shall come into effect after it has been approved by the National Assembly and after the current life of the House of Assembly.
“The above provisions of the Constitution do not give the powers for the creation of State Constituencies to either the State Governments or the State House of Assemblies.
“Therefore, subjugating Aye kingdom in Okitipupa State Constituency 2 under Igbotako in Okitipupa State Constituency 1 is an attempt to trample on the Constitution of Nigeria. This implies that Aye kingdom CANNOT be under the proposed Ikale North LCDA
“The actual proposal for the creation of Ikale North LCDA was submitted by Aye Kingdom and not Igbotako. Evidences were submitted with the protest letter. Aye kingdom has the highest deposit of bitumen and is second to Okitipupa in terms of population and economic viability in the present Okitipupa LGA.
“Okitipupa LGA also deserves to be divided into four (4) LCDAs with two (2) from each constituency.
“Aye and all her towns and villages should be removed from under the proposed Ikale North LCDA
“Ikale North LCDA should be carved out of Okitipupa State constituency 2 with Ode-Aye as the headquarters making Okitipupa LGA divided into four (4) LCDAs,” the statement added.
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