Labour Party Candidate Declared Winner Of Enugu By-election While In Prison

News Update

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Bright Ngene of the Labour Party as the winner of the rerun election held in Enugu South 1 State Constituency.

INEC on Tuesday declared Ngene the winner of the rerun election, bringing to an end the prolonged crisis that had trailed multiple failed attempts to conduct the court-ordered poll.

The announcement was contained in a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.

Meanwhile, Ngene is currently remanded at the Enugu prison on the order of the Enugu Magistrate Court over a communal crisis reportedly hijacked by the state government.

On July 28, 2024, an Enugu South Magistrates’ Court, presided over by E. D. Onwu, sentenced Ngene to seven years’ imprisonment.

He had been arraigned in 2017 alongside two others by the Enugu State Police Command over a N15 million community development fund scandal.

However, the matter was later referred to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), but following the election victory of Ngene in the March 18, 2023 State Assembly Election, the Magistrate who had earlier transferred the case to ADR declared that he was under instruction to conclude the case.

Ngene and two others are currently standing trial in a revived case concerning the Akwuke Community Development Fund, a matter that had been dormant since 2017 when Ngene served as legal counsel to his community in Enugu State.

The matter had been lingering since 2017 before Ngene ran for the Assembly Election.

Meanwhile, media recalls that the latest attempt to hold the rerun on Saturday, August 16, collapsed after polling officials failed to produce sensitive materials, including result sheets, effectively preventing voters from casting their ballots.

The disruption, which sparked heated confrontations among party supporters at polling units, was the fourth failed attempt to conduct the rerun since it was ordered by the Court of Appeal.

In its Tuesday update, however, INEC confirmed that Ngene secured the highest number of votes, defeating his closest rival, Sam Ngene of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by a margin of over 3,000 votes.

INEC said, “Two re-run elections by order of the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals were held in Enugu and Kano States.

“After previous disruptions of the elections in the two states by violence and thuggery, the elections have now been concluded. Declaration and return were made by the Returning Officers.

“For the Enugu South 1 State Constituency of Enugu State, Ngene Bright Emeka of the Labour Party (LP) was declared the winner.”

The commission also declared Ya’u Garba Gwarmai of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election in Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency of Kano State.

INEC, however, noted that the elected candidates would be presented with Certificates of Return on Thursday, August 21 and 22, 2025, respectively, for the National Assembly candidates and State House of Assembly candidates.