Simon Lalong, the Minister of Labor and Employment, resigned, and President Bola Tinubu accepted it, the Presidency confirmed on Monday.
Lalong will now represent Plateau South Senatorial in the National Assembly, a seat he won, according to an appeal court decision dated November 7, 2023.
“The resignation of Lalong is effective. However, it did not occur during the FEC meeting. A presidential aide told our correspondent that it had to have happened after the meeting because, if it had happened earlier, the President or SGF would have made the announcement in-person.
It was learned that Senate President Godswill Akpabio will appoint the former governor of Plateau State later this week.
Prior to the February presidential election, Lalong was Director-General of the Tinubu Campaign Organization.
According to results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, he ran for the Senate seat but was unsuccessful.
But he appealed the decision in court and prevailed at the Court of Appeal.
Lalong, a lawyer and two-term Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, is said to have quietly tendered his resignation to the President following the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House on Wednesday.
A supporter of the president, Imran Mohammad, confirmed this on Twitter, writing, “President Tinubu, Accepted Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, Resignation from the Cabinet, his valedictory will hold next FEC meeting.”
“President Tinubu, Accepted Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, Resignation from the cabinet, his valedictory will hold next FEC meeting,” tweeted Imran Mohammad, a supporter of the president, confirming this.
Our correspondent did, however, confirm that there will not be an FEC meeting this week, meaning that Lalong’s appearance on Wednesday will most likely be his last as a council member.
