Court sacks PDP’s Bali, declares Lalong winner of senatorial election in Plateau 

The National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in Jos, Plateau State has issued a ruling that declares former Governor Simon Lalong, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the duly elected senator for Plateau South Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

Chairman of the three-member panel, Justice Mahmoud Tukur, delivered the verdict, asserting that the votes garnered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Napoleon Bali, in the February 25 election were considered wasted votes due to his invalid nomination.

The unanimous judgment emphasized that, during the nomination period, the PDP lacked a valid structure in the state, rendering Bali’s nomination invalid.

Furthermore, regarding the grounds of over-voting and non-compliance with electoral laws, the panel ruled that the petitioners failed to substantiate these allegations.