Enugu South Urban Constituency Remains Without Representation As Court Jails Elected LP Lawmaker Bright Ngene Over 2017 Community Dispute

Two years after the 2023 general elections, the Enugu South Urban Constituency remains without a representative in the Enugu State House of Assembly, a political void created by the incarceration of the Labour Party’s (LP) candidate, Bright Emeka Ngene, amidst growing criticism of the judiciary’s role in the affair.

Ngene, who defeated his closest rival and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sam Ngene, during the 2023 general election, scored over 5,200 votes against PDP’s 2,000. He was duly sworn in as an Enugu State House of Assembly member.

However, the PDP candidate approached the election tribunal, praying that the court declare the election inconclusive.

The appellate tribunal ruled in his favour, ordering a rerun in eight polling units. The rerun was scheduled but failed two times due to reports of electoral violence and manipulation.

Ahead of the yet-to-be-announced rerun date, a civil dispute dating back seven years was suddenly resurrected at the Enugu State Magistrate Court.

The matter, which involved financial disagreements between Bright Ngene and his Akwuke community, resulted in his conviction and sentencing to seven years’ imprisonment. This development sparked widespread protests against the political persecution.

The Financial Dispute and Conviction

Bright Ngene, a lawyer and former secretary of the Akwuke Town Union, was convicted on June 28, 2024, of conspiracy and theft involving N15,750,000 belonging to the Akwuke and Akwuke Uwani communities.

The funds, generated from royalties on sand, gravel, and quarry resources between 2014 and 2016, were deposited into his account with the full consent of the communities — a temporary arrangement made necessary by leadership disputes that had rendered the town union’s official bank account inaccessible.

Following the expiration of the union’s tenure, the traditional authorities accused union officials, including Bright Ngene, of embezzling the funds and failing to present a proper account of the community’s finances.

However, the union, for its part, insisted that it had submitted a comprehensive financial report resolving the discrepancies.

The dispute was initially taken to the police by the authorities. In 2017, Bright Ngene and two others were charged in court, where the presiding magistrate ruled the matter as a domestic issue and referred it to the Multi-Door Courthouse for mediation.

The case remained dormant until it was dramatically revived in 2024 following Bright Ngene’s political rise.

The court sentenced him to three years for conspiracy and four years for stealing, despite claims that the community had settled the matter internally and sought to withdraw the complaint.

Court documents and legal advocates revealed that a co-defendant, Benneth Aneke, had absconded and was removed from the charge.

Bright Ngene’s legal team has filed an appeal, arguing that he was denied a fair hearing and that the court rushed the trial, refusing to hear the defence’s motions or allow final addresses before delivering judgment.

Allegations of Political Weaponisation of Justice

The Labour Party has accused the Enugu State government of using the judiciary to block its elected candidate from retaining his seat.

The LP officials and supporters argued that the seven-year-old case was deliberately revived after Bright Ngene’s electoral victory, describing it as an orchestrated effort to suppress opposition voices in the state.

Many in the Akwuke community, including individuals who were originally part of the petition, have condemned the court’s decision and staged public demonstrations to demand Ngene’s release, stating that he has committed no offence. Community elders described the matter as a local misunderstanding that had been resolved amicably, until politics got involved.

As of May 2025, Enugu South Urban remains unrepresented in the Enugu State House of Assembly. With Bright Ngene imprisoned and no credible date for the rerun election announced, the constituents remain without a voice.

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Joy Chukwu

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