Tribunal declares Tinubu’s minister winner of Plateau senatorial election

Former governor of Plateau state, Simon Lalong, has been declared winner of the 2023 Plateau South senatorial district by the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Jos, Plateau State.

Lalong who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), currently serves as the minister of labour and employment under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Chairman of the three-member panel, Justice Mahmoud Tukur held that the votes scored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Napoleon Bali, in the February 25 election were wasted votes as he was invalidly nominated.

The unanimous Monday judgment held that as of the time of the nomination, the PDP had no valid structure in the state.

On the other grounds of over-voting and non-compliance with the electoral laws, the panel ruled that the petitioners could not prove the allegations.