BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Still basking in the euphoria of his victory at both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal, Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, says choosing between moving to the Senate or retaining his position in President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) has left him in utter confusion
In a video posted by an online TV, SYMFONI, the immediate past Plateau State Governor was seen admitting his chaotic state of mind while addressing a crowd of supporters
According to him; “Each time I am with him (a comrade), he will remind me that, please don’t go to Senate, please remain with us at the Ministry of Labour. Maybe that is not what my constituency will say because as I am now, I am a very confused man, about whether to go to the left or go to the right but pray for me to take the best decision.”
“If I remain with you, I will remain as a comrade but if I go there, things will change. I told Comrade Oshiomhole, I said they mentioned you to go and speak on behalf of the Labour. I said no, Comrade Aremu should speak. They said ‘Why?’, I said as a Senator, I think you have partly committed class suicide. You may be shifting a little bit, but until we see you after four years, we will not confirm that you are intact. So, it is only that time that we will know whether you have committed class suicide or you are still within as a comrade,” Lalong added
As a two-term Governor of Plateau State, Lalong had contested but lost the February 25, 2023, National Assembly election following the Independent of National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Napoleon Bali as winner of the poll.
Not satisfied with the INEC’s results, Lalong headed for the tribunal, which ruled in his favour. However, with Bali rejecting the ruling, the case moved over to the Court of Appeal for consideration.
Delivering judgment on Bali’s appeal, the Appellate Court, through Justice Elfaida Williams-Dawodu, upheld the Tribunal’s verdict, declaring the votes cast for the PDP candidate as unlawful.
Consequently, Justice Williams-Dawodu ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Bali and give a fresh one to Lalong.
With the Appeal Court’s affirmation, Lalong, alongside some associates, visited the INEC headquarters in Abuja last month to pick up the certificate, which was presented to him by the National Commissioner in charge of Kaduna, Kogi and Kwara States, Mohammed Haruna.
