PDP rejects tribunal judgment declaring Lalong winner

PDP rejects tribunal judgment declaring Lalong winner

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau has rejected the judgment of the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal that gave the Plateau South Senate seat to Mr Simon Lalong.
Its Chairman, Mr Chris Hassan, rejected the judgment while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Jos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tribunal chairman, Justice M. B. Tukur, on Monday declared Lalong winner of the Feb. 25 national assembly polls.
It also nullified the election of Mr Peter Gyendeng of Riyom/Barkin Ladi Federal Constituency and declared Fom Dalyop of the Labour Party (LP), who came second, as the winner.
The duo had approached the tribunal to challenge the emergence of Napoleon Bali and Gyendeng, both of the PDP, as Senator and House of Representatives member respectively.
The tribunal, in knocking off the winners, relied on the petitioners’ claim that they were wrongly nominated as the PDP had no structure when they emerged as its candidates.
Hassan, while rejecting the judgement, insisted that justice was not served by the Judges’ opinions.
”The PDP watched with dismay and trepidation the nullification of the elections of our Senator representing Plateau South and House of Representatives Member representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency
”We reject the outcome of the judgement in its entirety because justice was not served and it did not reflect the law and the interest of the majority of the people as freely expressed at the election.
”The judgement was an electoral robbery which is unacceptable to the people of Plateau because it is contrary to the will of the people of the constituencies which was freely expressed via the votes we got in the election,” he said.
Hassan maintained that the tribunal erred to have relied on the internal squabbles of the PDP to deliver its judgment in favour of the petitioners.