I’m Confused Over Moving To Senate Or Staying In Tinubu’s Government – Lalong

Simon Lalong

Simon Lalong, the Minister of Labour and Employment, says he is confused on whether he should move to the senate or retain his position in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.

Lalong, a two-term governor of Plateau State, had contested but lost the February 25, 2023 election.

The Independent of National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Napoleon Bali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections, Lalong had headed for the tribunal, which ruled in his favour.

Bali had rejected the result of the tribunal and filed an appeal.

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In a judgement delivered by Justice Elfaida Williams-Dawodu, the appeal court upheld the tribunal’s verdict, saying the votes cast for the PDP candidate were unlawful.

Justice Williams-Dawodu ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Bali and give a fresh one to Lalong.

Last month, Lalong stormed the INEC headquarters in Abuja, alongside some of his associates, to pick up the certificate, which was presented to him by Mohammed Haruna, a National Commissioner.

In a video, which an online TV, SYMFONI, posted online, Lalong was seeing addressing a crowd.

“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 also say because as I am now, I am a very confused man, because whether to go to left or go to 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. 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, until we see you after for 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,” he said.