The National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in Jos, Plateau State, has confirmed former governor Simon Lalong, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the validly elected senator to represent Plateau South Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
Justice Mahmoud Tukur, the panel’s chairman, ruled that the votes cast for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Napoleon Bali in the February 25 election were squandered since he was invalidly nominated.
The unanimous decision concluded that the PDP had no valid structure in the state at the time of the nomination.
The tribunal decided that the petitioners could not verify the accusations of overvoting and noncompliance with electoral regulations.
Similarly, the PDP was defeated by Labour Party candidate Dalyop Chollom in the Barkin-Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency.
The tribunal decided that Peter Gyenden of the PDP was not lawfully nominated since his party did not have a valid organization in the state at the time of his nomination.
Lalong, who just completed his tenure as governor of Plateau state, is also a member of president Bola Tinubu’s cabinet as minister of labour and employment.
