Labour Party candidate serving jail term declared winner of assembly re-run election in Enugu state
A member of Labour Party (LP) Bright Ngene currently serving a 7-year jail term has been declared as the winner of the rerun election held in Enugu South Urban Constituency of Enugu State.
Penpushing reports that spokesperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Sam Olumekun, made this known on Tuesday in a statement posted on Facebook adding that Ngene secured the highest number of votes to defeat his closest rival, Sam Ngene of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“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,” he stated.
“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’, Olumekun wrote
Penpushing further reports that he noted that the elected candidates would be presented with Certificates of Return on August 21, and 22 2025 for the National Assembly candidates and State House of Assembly candidates respectively.
“The occasion will take place at the INEC National Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday 21st August 2025 at 3.00 pm. For State Houses of Assembly, the Certificates of Return will be presented to members-elect by the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in our State offices on Friday 22nd August 2025 at 11.00 am’, he said.
Penpushing also reports that Ngene is currently serving a seven-year jail term in Enugu State Correctional Centre after an Enugu South Magistrate Court sentenced him to prison on July 28, 2024 over a communal crisis.
The electoral body it is recalled had declared the Ngene winner of the election held for the constituency on March 18, 2023, but a tribunal nullified his election in September of that year, before ordering a rerun election within 90 days.
Penpushing reports that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, Sam Ngene, challenged Ngene’s election at the tribunal, while the Labour Party (LP) candidate won in all the rerun elections, including the one ordered by a Court of Appeal, but the polls were all cancelled afterwards.
The rerun election held on August 16, 2025 initially looked set to be declared inconclusive after polling officials failed to produce sensitive election materials, including result sheets which appeared to make the exercise impossible.
Penpushing further reports that the Enugu South Urban Constituency rerun was held on August 16, 2025, the fourth attempt the court-ordered exercise was to happen, the election, which was ordered after the 2023 election was nullified in eight polling units, had faced repeated disruptions since February 2024.
The candidate of Labour Party (LP) was first arraigned in 2017 alongside two others by the police in Enugu State over theft of N15 million belonging to Akwuke, a community in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state.
Penpushing also reports that the matter had not come up since 2017 when Ngene served as legal counsel to his Akwuke Community in Enugu State, and was later referred to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
The magistrate who had earlier after Ngene initial election victory in 2023 transferred the case to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), revisited the case, explaining that he was under instruction to conclude the matter.
Penpushing reports that observers, however, expressed views that the prosecution and hurried conviction of the Labour Party (LP) candidate was politically motivated.
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