One of President Bola Tinubu’s ministers, Simon Lalong, the former governor of Plateau State and Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign, has emerged as the winner of the February 25 Parliamentary election.
This victory comes following a ruling by the National and State Petition Election Tribunal sitting in Jos.
Lalong was among the seven governors who were previously declared as losers in senatorial elections but was subsequently appointed as the Minister of Labour by President Tinubu.
The tribunal’s ruling saw the removal of Napoleon Bali, who represented Plateau South in the Senate, and declared Lalong as the rightful winner.
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Bali had contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Lalong ran under the All Progressive Congress (APC).
In a parallel ruling, the tribunal also nullified the election of Peter Gyendeng, who served as a member representing Barikin Ladi/ Riyom federal constituency of the House of Representatives.
Instead, Fom Dalyop of the Labour Party (LP), who secured the second-highest votes in the February 25 general elections in the state, was declared as the winner.
In their separate rulings, Justice Omaka Elekwo and Justice Muhammad Tukur nullified the election of the two PDP candidates because of the party’s refusal to respect the order of a Jos High court to conduct ward congresses before the last general elections.
The Justices therefore said the evidence presented by the APC and LP candidates were relevant and admissible.