Ngene sacks Ngene as Enugu Election Tribunal orders Re-run in State Assembly poll

BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu has nullified the victory of the Labour Party (LP) Candidate, Bright Ngene, as the House of Assembly member representing Enugu South Urban Constituency.

A 3-man panel, led by A. M. Abubakar, delivered this decisive verdict, ordering a re-run election in the Enugu South Urban Constituency.

The lead judge, in a stern tone, explained that the tribunal’s decision stemmed from a crucial issue: the number of votes credited to the proclaimed winner fell short of the number of disenfranchised voters in the constituency.

The judge unequivocally declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had erred in declaring Bright Ngene as the election winner without first announcing a re-run election in light of these discrepancies.

As a result, the tribunal ruled in favor of a re-run election in the constituency. This re-run election is expected to take place within ninety days (90) of today’s judgment, issued on September 13, 2023.

The legal battle leading to this decision was initiated by Hon. Sam Ngene, a one-term state lawmaker, who contested the declaration of Hon. Bright Ngene by INEC as the victor.

Sam Ngene argued that the number of cancelled votes exceeded the number of votes attributed to Hon. Bright Ngene, prompting this crucial intervention by the election petition tribunal.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.