The Court of Appeal in Abuja has rendered a landmark decision by nullifying the participation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its senatorial candidate, Napoleon Bali, in the February 25 National Assembly Election for the Plateau South Senatorial District. The verdict was based on the grounds of the PDP’s refusal to comply with a lawful court order.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Elfreda Williams-Dawodu, delivered the judgment, declaring the votes cast for the PDP in the election as unlawful and wasted. In a surprising turn of events, the former Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared as the rightful Senator for the Plateau South Senatorial District.
Simon Lalong, who had secured the second-highest number of votes in the February Senatorial election, now assumes the role of Senator for the district.
Justice Williams-Dawodu’s ruling emphasized that the PDP and its candidate had no legal grounds to participate in the election. This was due to their failure to comply with a judgment from a Plateau High Court, which ordered the party to conduct lawful elections to select officers for Wards, Local Governments, and the State Chapter.
The Plateau High Court’s directive in 2022 had instructed the PDP to organize elections for the selection of officers at various levels within the party, a mandate that had not been followed.
The Court of Appeal asserted that the PDP’s disregard for a clear and lawful court order was a critical factor. The party had hastily established an illegal caretaker committee, which directly contradicted the court’s ruling.
Specifically, the appellate court determined that the PDP had not officially sponsored any candidate for the Plateau South Senatorial District, as it was not qualified to participate in any election as of February 25, 2023.
Consequently, the Court of Appeal upheld Simon Lalong’s declaration as the legitimate Senator for the Plateau South Senatorial District, given his second-highest vote tally in the election.
Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Okon Abang, in agreement with the judgment, further validated this legal decision.
Simon Lalong, the immediate past Governor of Plateau State, currently serves as the Minister of Labour in President Bola Tinubu’s administration. This ruling marks a significant development in the political landscape of the Plateau South Senatorial District.
