Lalong Retains Seat as Appeal Court Affirms Reelection as Plateau Governor
POLITICS DIGEST – The Court of Appeal, Jos Division on Friday affirmed the victory of Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State after dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Senator Jeremiah Useni, challenging his victory at the poll during the 2019 general election.
Read Also:
Useni had earlier lost his bid to unseat Lalong at the election petitions tribunal in its judgment delivered October 2, 2019 Not satisfied with the tribunal’s judgment, Useni and his party had approached the Court of Appeal on twenty grounds insisting that Lalong lied in the information he provided to INEC on his form CF0001.
The PDP candidate also claimed that Lalong was not qualified to contest the election among other claims.
The Appeal Court however resolved all the issues against the appellant and in favour of Lalong stating that there was no law under the 1999 constitution that restricts one to a particular number of names he may be known or called neither is there any law that confines one to bear a particular name throughout his/her lifetime.
Justice O.A. Otisi, who read the lead judgment agreed with the lower tribunal and held that Useni’s appeal ”lacked merit and is hereby dismissed.”
