By Abiola Olawale
In a stunning turn of events, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Bright Ngene, a Labour Party (LP) House of Assembly candidate currently serving a seven-year jail term, as the winner of the Enugu South Urban Constituency re-run election held on August 16, 2025.
The announcement was made by INEC spokesperson Sam Olumekun, a development that has sparked widespread mixed reactions.
The New Diplomat reports that a rerun election was ordered after the nullification of Ngene’s 2023 election victory in eight polling units.
Since February 2024, INEC said it has faced logistical challenges, including missing result sheets and violent interruptions, with the August 16 attempt being the fourth attempt to conduct the court-ordered poll.
Despite these setbacks, INEC confirmed that Ngene secured the highest number of votes, defeating his closest rival, a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by a margin of over 3,000 votes.
Olumekun, in a statement posted on INEC’s official Facebook page, emphasized the commission’s commitment to upholding lawful orders and respecting the will of the people.
“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.
Continuing, the INEC spokesperson said: “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.”
He noted that the elected candidates would be presented with Certificates of Return on 21 August and 22, 2025, for the National Assembly candidates and State House of Assembly candidates, respectively.
The New Diplomat a reports that Ngene, a legal practitioner, is currently incarcerated at the Enugu State Correctional Centre following a alleged conviction on questionable grounds.
Recall that on July 28, 2024, an Enugu South Magistrate Court, presided over by E.D. Onwu, had sentenced Ngene to seven years in prison over a 2017 case involving the alleged theft of N15 million in community development funds.
Many community leaders said the judgement was politically motivated and characterized by bias fabrications. Following this election results as declared by INEC, the affected community was said to have been engulfed by joy and jubilation.
