Wife Of Labour Party Candidate, Bright Ngene Incarcerated For 15 Months Appeals For Husband's Release

The wife of Bright Ngene, the Labour Party candidate declared winner twice of the Enugu South Urban 1 State Constituency seat but incarcerated in prison for 15 months, has appealed for his release. 

Munachi Ngene described her husband's imprisonment as politically motivated, stating that he was jailed for winning an election and refusing to defect to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State.

"It's been tough for me as a wife footing bills, taking care of the children alone," Munachi said in an interview with SaharaReporters.

"My husband has an aged mother and siblings who look up to him, and other relations that depend on him. Seeing a senior lawyer like him being dragged through the courts like this because of orders from above is heartbreaking." 

Munachi Ngene alleged that her husband's imprisonment was orchestrated by the state government to nullify his electoral mandate.

"The essence of holding him is for them to do the rerun, but they have failed because they are not God," she said. 

"At the end of the day, God has proven to them that He is still God."

According to Munachi, her husband was approached several times to defect to the PDP and boost their numbers in the House, but he refused. 

"He told them that he is a principled person and cannot defect or relinquish his mandate," she said. 

"He knows how he got to the House, and it's through the help of his constituents. How can he just abandon them?"

The couple's ordeal began in 2016 when Ngene served as secretary of a committee instituted to handle the affairs of Akwuke in connection with sand mining revenue. 

A faction of the committee allegedly fermented trouble, and Ngene was charged to court alongside two others. 

Despite being exonerated by the community, the case was revived after Ngene won the election, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Munachi Ngene is calling for her husband's release, insisting that he is innocent and that the allegations against him are baseless. 

"I am calling on them to release my husband because he is innocent of the allegations they leveled against him, and they know it," she said.

She expressed frustration with the judicial process, noting that the Magistrate Court's judgment was predetermined. 

"The Magistrate who was obviously working on a script did not listen to our testimony," she said. 

"He will come to court and tell us that his hands are tied. He doesn't allow our legal team to talk in court, he sidelines them, he only listens to what the lawyer from the ministry of justice says."

Munachi Ngene also questioned the fairness of the trial, pointing out that the Town Union President of Akwuke Uwani, was not charged despite being part of the committee. 

"It's clear that the traditional rulers and the government are working together to target my husband," she alleged.

The wife of the incarcerated lawmaker lamented the impact of her husband's imprisonment on their family, particularly their children. 

"I have been taking the responsibility of father and mother," she said. "All the responsibilities are on my shoulder. It's not easy, but I'm calling on them to release my husband because he is innocent."

Munachi Ngene remains hopeful that justice will be served, and her husband will be released soon. 

"We urge the government to listen to the plight of its people and reverse this decision immediately," she said. 

"My husband's imprisonment is a clear case of political persecution, and it must be stopped."