When the people of Plateau South Senatorial District trooped to the polls in the 2023 general elections, their voices were loud and clear. Napoleon Binkap Bali, retired Air Vice Marshal and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 148,844 votes, defeating the then sitting governor, Simon Bako Lalong of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who managed 91,674 votes. The margin was emphatic, an attestation to the trust and confidence the people reposed in Bali.
Yet, that victory was controversially overturned at the Court of Appeal on the grounds of PDP’s alleged lack of political structure. Even so, in the brief six months that Bali served at the Senate before the judicial setback, his impact was nothing short of transformative – leaving Plateau South with a performance record that dwarfed Lalong’s two decades in politics.
Bali, who served as Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Air Force, brought his wealth of military and strategic experience to the national stage. He was a strong voice for national security, consistently advocating for better air power capacity to combat insurgency, banditry, and terrorism.
His interventions, backed by years of service as an Air Force officer, earned him respect across party lines and positioned him as a serious-minded lawmaker with a grasp of Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
While Lalong was still struggling to find his footing in the Senate after almost two years, Bali hit the ground running. In just half a year, he drilled boreholes across the entire Plateau South Senatorial District, ensuring access to clean and safe water for households long neglected by government. He organized a youth empowerment programme in Shendam, where scores of young men and women benefitted from training, mentorship, and starter support to build livelihoods.
Distinguished Senator AVM Napoleon Binkap Bali (Rtd) also sponsored and facilitated the training of 100 farmers on animal rearing and production, with beneficiaries drawn from all six local government areas of Plateau South Senatorial District.
The training, tagged Promotion and Development of Animal Husbandry, was designed to enhance breeding practices and raise grassroots awareness on the importance of livestock production. Each participant received two pairs of goats, male and female, along with cash support for start-up, a gesture that not only boosted household incomes but also strengthened food security and rural enterprise in the zone.
Equally notable was Bali’s commitment to education. He instituted scholarships for exceptional students, ensuring that brilliance did not go unrewarded and that promising talents were supported to reach their full potential. His partnership with youth groups across Plateau South strengthened civic engagement, giving young people a voice in governance.
Above all, Bali distinguished himself with accessibility and regular interaction with his constituents. He held open meetings, listened to the people, and gave them a sense of belonging. In just months, he redefined what it means to be a servant-leader.
The contrast could not be sharper. Simon Bako Lalong has held public office for nearly two decades – eight years as Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, another eight as Governor, and now almost two years as Senator. Yet, his record is widely seen as underwhelming. Despite the fact that Plateau South mandate was controversially reassigned to him by the Court of Appeals in 2023, has little to show for his tenure so far.
Where Lalong has been slow, detached, and ineffective, Bali was swift, accessible, and impactful. Where Lalong’s scorecard is marked by absence, Bali’s is marked by presence. Where Lalong’s politics has been about self-preservation, Bali’s brief stint was about service.
The people of Plateau South know who truly served them. Though the court decision temporarily denied them the representative they overwhelmingly chose at the ballot, the memory of Bali’s six-month performance remains fresh.
History will remember that Napoleon Binkap Bali, in just six months, achieved what Simon Lalong could not in twenty years. And for Plateau South, the choice of who is truly a servant is already settled.
