LP faults Enugu assembly candidate’s seven-year jail term ahead of rerun

• Published On: 02 July 2024 at 20:19

The Labour Party's leadership blasted Bright Ngene, its candidate for the Enugu State House of Assembly, on Tuesday for receiving a seven-year prison sentence for his involvement in a divisive community issue.

In an effort to prevent the ruling Peoples Democratic Party from benefiting from the ruling, the party also sent a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission asking that the scheduled rerun poll in Ngene's constituency be postponed.

The LP candidate for the Enugu South Urban Constituency was condemned on Friday by an Enugu South Magistrates Court presided over by E D Onwu.

The Enugu State Police Command charged Ngene and two other people in 2017 about a N15 million development money case that involved his neighbourhood.


He overcame the nominee of the Peoples Democratic Party in the general elections of 2023.

On the other hand, the PDP contested Ngene's win.

A repeat in eight voting places was mandated after the election was deemed inconclusive by the election petition tribunal.

However, the magistrate court decided on Friday that Ngene need to serve a seven-year prison sentence.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja, National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh on behalf of the National Working Committee of the LP claimed that the decision was a part of a larger scheme to keep their candidate out of the rerun.

Kehinde Edun, the national legal adviser, and Ayo Olorunfemi, the deputy national chairman of the Labour Party, were present at the press conference.

"What we have witnessed in this case is an indication of decay in the system that normally serves to safeguard the average person," he declared. Since then, the Enugu judiciary has removed its disguise and taken on the role of an interested party.

"For our albatross, the only way to prevent the Labour Party from winning is to hold the election without our involvement, and the only means of doing so is to imprison our candidate. Thus, it would seem that the PDP has found success with this tactic. Nigerians, we implore you, to rise up against this ongoing assault on democracy in Enugu State.

"We firmly feel that there was an unfair hearing for our party and candidate. This case has been pending for approximately seven years, as was previously mentioned. However, the presiding magistrate abruptly reopened the case and issued a ruling within a day, despite the defence attorney's protestations, which were ineffective in persuading the judge to postpone the matter until a later time to allow for a fair hearing.

"There was no fine option in this case," he continued. What is the purpose of the lengthy sentence? Why is it so urgent to put our candidate in jail when the NJC has granted the candidate's plea for custody of the case? If the NJC hadn't stepped in, wouldn't the parties have kept things as they were?


Being in the minority, they naturally desired to be represented by a majority in the state Assembly. By doing this, they would have been able to obtain the much-needed assurance of the executive's protection. Of course, the Labour Party has filed a legal petition to have those Assembly seats vacated in accordance with the electoral code and the constitution.

"In response to Ngene's petition alleging that the judiciary has been brought into shame and opprobrium, we are now requesting that the National Judicial Council take disciplinary action. Additionally, we implore INEC to put a hold on any further proceedings pertaining to the rerun of the elections in the Enugu South Rural Constituency until further notice.

"This, in our opinion, will prevent giving one party an unfair advantage over the others while the legal procedures are being completed. The people's will must be recognised, and that is INEC's responsibility.