29th January, 2025
The Attorney-General
Ondo State Ministry of Justice
Alagbaka G.R.A, Akure
Dear Sir,
DEMAND FOR PUBLIC APOLOGY AND CALL FOR IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OVER FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENTS TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE AMENDMENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION, CONDUCT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION AND ALLIED MATTERS LAW OF ONDO STATE.
In a widely reported press statement on Thursday, 16th January 2025, I called for the immediate dissolution of the Ondo State Local Government Election Tribunal, same having been constituted by the Chief Judge contrary to the manner prescribed by the Local Government Administration, Conduct of Local Government Election and Allied Matters Law, Cap 87, Volume 2, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
The Chief Registrar of the Ondo State High Court and your office issued separate press statements, claiming that the Law was amended in 2024. In your statement, you initially stated that the Law had been amended (albeit without disclosing any relevant details), but then suggested in your closing remarks that the amendment was ongoing.
In my response, I asked seven questions relating to the purported amended law, but your office has been unable to answer any of those questions till date. I then formally requested for a copy of the amended law in my letters of 21st January (addressed to the Clerk of the House of Assembly) and 22nd January (addressed to your office).
Unsurprisingly, neither the House nor your office has it, and the purported amended law is not in any State Gazette or other public record. The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, declared in his statement during the plenary session of 5th November 2024 accessible online via https://www.thehopenewspaper.com/ondo-assembly-passes-eight-bills-goes-on-recess/ that the House of Assembly had passed a total of eight bills into law in 2024 as at 5th November, 2024 and three additional bills were pending. The House then went on a six- week recess and only reconvened to pass the 2025 Appropriation Bill.
I say – without fear of contradiction – that the purported amended is not one of the eight bills passed into law or the three bills pending. I had my facts (including the dates each law was passed in 2024) before embarking on my advocacy on this subject.
You would recall that in your press statement on this matter, you opted to malign my character and denigrate my professional competence rather than address my concerns over what I initially perceived as a mistake. I now believe that you deliberately lied to the public that the Law has been amended to empower the Chief Judge to set up the Tribunal.
Your persistent false claims regarding the amendment of the law, even after I had raised the alarm, suggest that you and other actors deliberately tried to manipulate the Local Government Election Tribunal.
Your action has plunged Ondo State into a constitutional crisis and mockery, and also amounts to an offence under Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. In addition, it is an egregious breach of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners. The office of the Attorney-General is an exalted and highly coveted office, and should be occupied by only the most noble and worthy of men.
On this premise, I demand sir that you issue a public apology to Ondo State, the Federation, and the Bar for your misleading and false public statements and tender your resignation within seventy-two hours, failing which I will institute a civil action against you and submit a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. I may also report you to the Nigerian Bar Association and the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria for necessary disciplinary action.
I trust that you will do what is in the best interest of the people of Ondo State.
Regards.
Yours faithfully,
Adebayo A. Solagbade (Akure based Lawyer).
