From Election Victory To Prison: Enugu Govt Accused Of Judicial Abuse As Community Dispute, Political Victory Land Labour Party Candidate Bright Ngene In Jail

A once-local community dispute over financial transparency has evolved into a high-stakes political and legal saga, culminating in the incarceration of Barrister Bright Emeka Ngene—lawyer, Labour Party (LP) candidate, and initially declared winner of the 2023 Enugu State House of Assembly election for Enugu South Urban Constituency.

However, the election was nullified by the court for being inconclusive.

SaharaReporters learnt that Ngene’s ongoing imprisonment is deeply entangled with both his prior legal advisory role in his community and his subsequent electoral success, which allegedly positioned him as a political threat to the Enugu State government.

The Origin: Akwuke Town Union Dispute

Findings made by SaharaReporters show that the origin of Ngene’s ordeal dates back to his time as legal adviser and secretary of the contract committee for the Town Union of Akwuke Town, a community in Enugu South Local Government Area rich in sand and gravel deposits. 

These natural resources generate significant revenues, with buyers flocking from across the Enugu metropolis.

Following the expiration of the Town Union’s tenure, a conflict erupted between the Union and the traditional rulers. The latter accused the Union of embezzling ₦15 million and failing to present a proper account to the community. 

However, the Union insisted it had submitted a comprehensive financial report addressing the alleged discrepancy.

Unable to resolve the dispute internally, the traditional rulers petitioned the police, and in 2017, Ngene and two others were charged in court on counts of stealing and conspiracy.

Sources told SaharaReporters that at the Enugu State Magistrate Court, the presiding judge, after hearing preliminary arguments, observed that the matter was essentially a domestic issue, best resolved through community dialogue. The case was accordingly referred to the Multi-Door Court House for mediation—a legal route often reserved for non-criminal, intra-community disputes.

“The court referred the case to the multi-door courthouse for mediation, recognizing it as a purely domestic issue rooted in misunderstanding,” a source stated.

Years later, in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections, Ngene entered the race for the Enugu South Urban State Constituency seat under the Labour Party (LP). On March 18, 2023, he emerged victorious, defeating the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a wide margin: LP - 5,865 votes; PDP - 2,098 votes.

It was learnt that the PDP challenged the outcome at the Election Tribunal, arguing that results from eight polling units—collectively holding a voting capacity of 4,250—had been cancelled due to violence. Relying on the margin of lead principle, the tribunal ordered a rerun in those units within 90 days.

Despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducting the rerun twice, no conclusive results were achieved. According to sources close to the LP campaign, the PDP-led state government exhausted every means to overturn Ngene’s victory—including attempts at rigging—but failed.

It was in the midst of this political stalemate that attention turned back to the unresolved community matter—still pending before the Multi-Door Court.

“The truth is that, given the wide margin by which the Labour Party is leading, the PDP cannot overturn the result—even if the election were repeated a million times. It was at that point they discovered the case pending at the multi-door court involving Bright Ngene. To remove him from the ballot and obstruct another rerun, the Enugu State Government escalated the community dispute into a state matter,” a source revealed.

Hijacked Proceedings and Judicial Acceleration

The Enugu State Government, through its Attorney General (AG), allegedly intervened to reclassify the matter as a state-level criminal case. Sources said the case, without notification to the original court or parties involved, was reassigned to a different court—one reportedly selected for its alignment with the state’s objectives.

The court, operating at what one observer described as a "supersonic pace," began sitting almost daily. Fair hearing guarantees were reportedly disregarded: witnesses were barred, and the community itself expressed disinterest in continuing the case, but the court insisted that only the AG could discontinue the trial.

Repeated petitions for transfer of the case to a different judge, citing judicial bias and abuse of process, were denied. Ngene sought a stay of proceedings from the High Court, which was granted initially, only to be mysteriously revoked overnight in his absence. 

SaharaReporters learnt that when Ngene’s legal team attempted to verify the revocation, the case file was allegedly missing.

It was learnt that on June 28, 2024, the trial court dismissed Ngene’s application for the judge to recuse himself. The judge then declared, “This matter must end today.” 

Sources said without receiving final written addresses from either party, the judge pulled out a pre-typed, 25-page judgment and sentenced Ngene to seven years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and stealing, without the option of a fine.

Appeal Meets Dead Ends

Following the conviction, Ngene’s legal team appealed to the High Court. Yet, in what sources describe as a pattern of intimidation and judicial interference, two different judges handling the appeal recused themselves just before delivering rulings or judgments, each time returning the file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.

“On March 11, 2025, a third court was scheduled to deliver a ruling. However, in another abrupt turn, the judge also recused himself, sending the matter back to the CJ. As of this report, no new judge has been assigned,” a source said.

Those familiar with the matter allege that this is part of a deliberate strategy to keep the case within the influence of state actors, thereby blocking any possibility of relief for Ngene through independent judicial oversight.

Conditional Freedom Offer Behind Bars

While incarcerated at Enugu State Maximum Security Prison, Ngene was reportedly approached by individuals alleged to be PDP operatives. The condition for his freedom, they said, was relinquishing his political mandate in favour of the PDP.

Ngene is said to have rejected the offer outright, opting to remain imprisoned rather than compromise the electoral will of his constituents.

A source familiar with the case, who asked not to be named, described the situation as “a dangerous abuse of judicial process, designed to eliminate a popular opposition figure under the guise of criminal prosecution.”

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged wrongful imprisonment of Barrister Bright Emeka Ngene by Magistrate E.D. Onwu of the Enugu South Magistrates’ Court on June 28, 2024.

In July 2024, the Labour Party leadership strongly condemned the seven-year prison sentence handed to its Enugu State House of Assembly candidate, Ngene, over a disputed community-related case.

The party also formally petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging it to suspend the planned rerun election in Ngene’s Enugu South Urban Constituency. It warned that proceeding with the poll would unfairly benefit the ruling PDP in light of the controversial court judgment.

Also, in July 2024, the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) embarked on a campaign to free Ngene from jail.

APC Chairman, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, denounced the imprisonment of the Labour Party candidate, calling it a grave miscarriage of justice. He accused the ruling PDP in Enugu of orchestrating the arrest and sentencing of the lawmaker as part of a calculated plot to clear the path for its candidate in the upcoming rerun election.

However, Mr Dan Nwomeh, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, dismissed the allegations as “mere conjecture”.

“His case involving alleged embezzlement of community funds predated this administration. Enugu government has no hand whatsoever in his travail,” he added.