Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has officially taken the oath of office as the Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District in the 10th Assembly. Accompanied by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lalong was sworn in during a plenary session presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Lalong’s journey to the Senate involved a legal battle after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) initially declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Napoleon Bali, as the winner. Challenging Bali’s victory, Lalong argued that the PDP lacked a proper party structure, rendering their candidate’s emergence invalid.
The tribunal, in a judgment delivered by Justice Muhammad Tukur, nullified Bali’s declaration, considering the PDP candidate’s votes as “wasted votes.” Despite the PDP’s objections, the Appeal Court, led by Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, upheld the tribunal’s decision, emphasizing the PDP’s failure to adhere to a standing court judgment.
Justice Williams-Dawodu stated, “Invalidly nominated candidates cannot attract lawful votes. This appeal fails. The tribunal judgment is hereby affirmed.” Following this verdict, Simon Lalong, who had served as a minister and Director-General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, resigned from his ministerial position to take up the Plateau South senatorial seat.
