Sen Akpabio Swears in Former Minister Lalong as Plateau South Senator

Simon Lalong, a former minister of labor, employment, and productivity, taken the oath of office to become a member of the 10th Senate.

Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, presided over the ceremony on Wednesday where Lalong was sworn in.

On the Senate floor, at approximately 11:57 a.m., he took the oath of office.

During the 2023 presidential election that produced President Bola Tinubu, Akpabio promptly praised Lalong, a former governor of Plateau State and the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Campaigns.

Lalong will speak for Plateau-South on the APC platform.

Speaking soon after his inauguration, Lalong said he actually wanted to be a senator after he served his tenure as governor in May 2023.

Lalong said, “This was my first choice, to be candid.”

According to him, he opted to hold the position of minister in the interim and on the invitation of Tinubu because he had a case he was pursuing at the courts.

Lalong promised to do his best to serve his electorate to the best of his abilities.

Also reacting to the inauguration, the National Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, described it as a moment of happiness.

“This is a moment of happiness. We are so happy that he won at the Court of Appeal.

“What Nigerians will expect is good legislation. As we know, the APC has the majority and will work for the prosperity of all Nigerians,” Ganduje added.

On November 7, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, confirmed the lower tribunal’s decision declaring Lalong the winner of the Plateau-South Senatorial District race.

Initially, Mr. Napoleon Bali, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, was proclaimed the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

According to INEC, Lalong received 91,674 votes, while Bali received 148,844 votes.

However, Lalong contested the outcome, arguing that the PDP lacked legitimate state structures that would have allowed a candidate to run for office.