Appeal Court confirms Lalong as senator for Plateau South

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Senator Napoleon Binkap Bali, for the Plateau South Senatorial District of Plateau State, were disqualified from running in the February 25 National Assembly Election by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday, citing their refusal to carry out a lawful order of Court as the reason.

In a ruling written and delivered by Justice Elfaida Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu, the Appellate Court invalidated all votes cast for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and appointed former Governor of the State Simon Bako Lalong to represent the state in the Senate.

In the senate election in February, Lalong, who ran on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), finished in second place.

Justice Williams-Dawodu held that the PDP and its Senatorial candidate have no legal ground to participate in the election having failed to obey the judgement of a Plateau High Court that the party should conduct lawful elections for the purpose of having officers for Wards, Local Governments and State Council.

In 2022, the Plateau High Court ordered the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to hold elections to choose its ward, local government, and state chapter leaders.

The Court of Appeals ruled that the PDP’s hasty installation of an illegal Caretaker Committee in defiance of the Court’s verdict was a fatal act of disobedience and disdain for plain lawful order of Court.

The Appellate Court ruled that PDP was ineligible to run in any election as of February 25, 2023, and hence did not back any candidate in the Plateau South Senatorial District.

As of February 25th, PDP had a shaky foundation from which to nominate candidates for any election. It has no basis in law upon which to nominate a candidate.

“A affirmative order of Court must be obeyed with unless such order is overturned and set aside by a higher Court.

For whatever reason, the PDP in this case decided to ignore a court order requiring it to hold elections so that its members could be elected to positions in the wards, local governments, and state council.

To paraphrase the Plateau National Assembly Election Tribunal’s decision to invalidate PDP’s vote on February 25, 2023: “I cannot but agree totally with judgment of the Plateau National Assembly Election Tribunal.”

After an appeal, the Court of Appeal confirmed Simon Lalong’s legitimacy as the elected senator for the Plateau South Senatorial District.

Mohammed Mustapha and Okon Abang, two other Court of Appeal Justices, both concurred with the decision.

Former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong is now the Minister of Labor in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.