Lalong, Tinubu’s Minister, Declared Winner, Plateau South Senatorial District By Court Of Appeal, Sacks Bali

By Adesina Soyooye

Simon Lalong, Minister for Labour, has been declared the winner of the Plateau South Senatorial seat.

Lalong had contested for the seat as a sitting Governor of Plateau State, just when he was winding down his second tenure. However, in the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the Election which took place on February 25, 2023, the then Governor lost to the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Napoleon Bali.

Bali, according to INEC, scored a total of 148,844 votes to defeat Lalong who scored 91, 674 votes.

But Lalong approached the Election Petition Tribunal with an argument that the PDP, Plateau State, had no proper Party Structure, and so, waa not in a position to field a Candidate. The Tribunal agreed with him, and declared Bali’s votes wasted.

But Bali appealed the Judgement to the Court of Appeal.

On Tuesday, a three-man panel of Appeal Court Justices, chairmaned by the Honourable Justice Elfrida Williams, agreed with the lower Court and sacked Bali.

Disagreeing with Bali, the Court of Appeal said the case was, at once, a pre and post Election matter and sacked him as a Senator. It said the PDP was wrong not to have conducted a new Congress in the State as ordered by a Court.

Said the Court of Appeal: “Section 287 of the Nigerian Constitution said all are expected to observe orders of the Court. The order was in the realm. It is binding on all persons. It is immutable, and until it is set aside, must be complied with.

“This issue is, hereby, resolved against the appellant. Invalidly nominated Candidates cannot attract lawful votes. This appeal fails. The Tribunal judgement is affirmed.”

Lalong is, currently, the Minister for Labour, Employment and Productivity. It is now left for him to either quit the Cabinet for the Senate or remain in the Cabinet. If he chooses to remain a Minister, it means that INEC will conduct a new Senatorial Election for Plateau South District that is likely to exempt the PDP.