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Bye-Election: Prison Inmate Declared Winner of Enugu Assembly Seat
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday declared Bright Ngene of the Labour Party winner of the rerun election in Enugu South 1 State Constituency.
The declaration, however, came despite Ngene’s ongoing imprisonment.
The announcement was made through a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
It marked the end of a prolonged crisis after several failed attempts to hold the court-ordered rerun.
Ngene, who is currently serving a seven-year jail term at Enugu prison over a communal dispute linked to a N15 million community development fund, defeated his closest rival, Sam Ngene of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by more than 3,000 votes.
Confirming the outcome, Olumekun stated: “For the Enugu South 1 State Constituency of Enugu State, Ngene Bright Emeka of the Labour Party (LP) was declared the winner.”
He added that the Commission was determined to follow due process: “INEC will continue to comply with all lawful orders and ensure that the will of the people as expressed through the ballot is respected.”
The rerun itself had suffered repeated setbacks, including disruptions on August 16, 2025, when polling officials failed to provide sensitive materials such as result sheets.
Addressing this, INEC noted: “The Commission regrets the earlier logistical challenges and wishes to reassure the public that measures have been taken to forestall a recurrence.”
INEC also confirmed that Certificates of Return will be presented this week.
“The presentation for National Assembly members will take place on Thursday, August 21, while elected State Assembly members will receive theirs on Friday, August 22, 2025,” Olumekun said.
The Commission further assured Nigerians that it would “continuously inform the public on all its activities in the interest of transparency and accountability.”
