The National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, sitting in Jos, Plateau State, has pronounced a former governor of the state, Simon Lalong, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Plateau South senatorial district, as the validly elected person.
Justice Mahmoud Tukur, the panel’s chairman, ruled that the votes cast for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Napoleon Bali in the February 25 election were squandered since he was invalidly nominated.
The unanimous Monday decision concluded that the PDP had no valid organisation in the state at the time of the nomination.
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.
Similarly, the PDP lost the Barkin-Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency seat to Labour Party (LP) candidate Dalyop Chollom.
The tribunal ruled that Peter Gyenden of the PDP was not validly nominated as at the time of his nomination due to his party’s no valid structure in the state.