Lalong receives certificate of return as Plateau senator

Simon Lalong, minister of labour and employment, has received his certificate of return as the senator to represent Plateau south district.

The labour minister received the certificate on Thursday in Abuja, the country’s capital.

On November 7, the court of appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgment of a tribunal which declared Lalong as the winner of the Plateau south senatorial election.

The three-member panel of the appellate court led by Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu held that the tribunal was correct in its decision.

Williams-Dawodu ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed to obey a subsisting order of the Plateau high court delivered in 2022 which instructed the party to conduct a fresh congress in the 17 LGAs in the state.

On September 11, the tribunal led by Muhammad Tukur ruled that the PDP lacked the right to participate in the election because it failed to obey a previous court order.

The tribunal annulled the victory of Napoleon Bali, candidate of PDP, who won the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bali as the winner of the election after he scored 148,844 votes.

Lalong, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 91, 674 votes.

Due to the election loss, Lalong accepted the ministerial appointment from President Bola Tinubu to head the labour ministry.

With the collection of certificates of return, Lalong may resign his ministerial appointment and get sworn in at the upper chamber.