Less than 24 hours after the passing of the law creating the new 19 LCDAs by the Ekiti House of Assembly, Ilasa Ekiti has rejected the exercise.

The community which rejected the siting of the headquarters of the new LCDA claimed undue political manipulations marred the process.

Writing under the auspices of Ilasa Development Union, the community, in a letter dated August 5 sent to Governor Kayode Fayemi, dismissed the creation of Ekiti South-East LCDA.

The letter was signed by Tajudeen Ahmed (IDU president) and Adebayo Thomas (IDU secretary).

The Ilasa community noted that their town ought to have been named the headquarters of the Ekiti South-East LCDA.

“As laudable as the idea behind the creation of the new LCDAs are, the creation of Ekiti South-East LCDA is nothing to cheer about,” the community lamented. “This is because undue political manipulation and chicanery were allowed to prevail over objectivity, commonsense and rationality, in the creation of the LCDA. Among the component member communities of the LCDA, it is not in doubt that Ilasa Ekiti ranks far and above others.”

Apart from its long existence and history of the community, the group asserted, “its Oba is the only monarch in the LCDA with grade ‘A’ status, while others are in the grade ‘C’ classification.”

Further laying its claim to have the LCDA headquartered in its community, the union stated, “This is in addition to the fact that Ilasa Ekiti has played leadership and headship roles to a segment of the component towns in the LCDA for decades (Ekamefa community).”

The IDU maintained that the committee set up to investigate the viability of the LCDAs, clearly recommended the headquarters of Ekiti South-East LCDA to be at Ilasa Ekiti.

“We gathered that the recommendation was truncated by the powers that be, as a way of favouring the interests of ‘certain powerful and influential politicians’ from some of the other component towns,” it further claimed. “The implication in citing Ekiti South-East LCDA headquarters at Isokan is that the secretariat of the LCDA can be situated at any part of the LCDA. This is most unacceptable and condemnable.“

(NAN)