The Enugu State chapter of the Labour Party has denounced what it termed the politically-motivated detention of its candidate for Enugu South Urban State Constituency, Bright Ngene, saying he was tried on trumped-up charges.
Ngene was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Enugu South Magisterial District on June 28, 2024.
The party condemned the judgment in a statement issued and signed by the State Chairman, Casimir Agbo, and the Publicity Secretary, Onuora Odo, in Enugu, on Tuesday.
It asked the National Judicial Commission to intervene and prevent further disgrace to the legal profession by officials compromised by political pressures.
It alleged that the magistrate, E. D. Onwu, acted under external influences to expedite the long-pending case.
The party also accused him of disregarding community protests and a pending petition to the NJC regarding his visible bias.
“We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the unjust and politically motivated detention of Hon. Bright Ngene, the Labour Party’s candidate for Enugu South Urban State Constituency, during the March 18, 2023 election, which he won and was sworn in as a member of Enugu House of Assembly.
“You would recall that Honourable Bright Ngene defeated his closest rival, Sam Ngene, during the elections. However, the PDP candidate went to the tribunal praying it to declare that the election was inconclusive.
“Consequently, the tribunal ordered a rerun in eight polling units. Unfortunately, the said rerun didn’t hold on two occasions as the PDP candidate was unprepared for the elections but was only plotting with the Independent National Electoral Commission to rig the election.
“The PDP-led government is in cahoots with the INEC to manipulate the election in favour of Sam Ngene,” the statement read.
The party said on two occasions that the rerun could not be held because the masses came out to reject any form of manipulation and imposition.
“It’s on the strength of the stiff resistance being mounted by the Labour Party candidate that the PDP-led government strategised and came up with arm-twisting tactics geared towards stopping Bright at all costs
“In total execution of their grand scheme, the PDP-led government went and resurrected a land-related matter involving Bright and two others, pending before the court since 2017.
“In a scenario that looked more dramatic than court proceedings, the presiding magistrate, Onwu, apparently acting under instructions, hurriedly and haphazardly heard the case on June 28, 2024, without adoption of addresses by parties, and sent Hon. Bright to prison for seven years without the option of fine on a trumped-up charge,” the party added.
The party condemned the detention of its candidate and described it as an attempt to silence and prevent him from participating in the upcoming rerun.
“We consider this detention a grave violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly given the pending petition before the National Judicial Council on the matter. The presiding magistrate’s decision was tainted by manifest bias, amounting to political intimidation.
“We urge the NJC, human rights organisations, and the international community to condemn this injustice and advocate for Hon Bright’s freedom,” the party said.