The Enugu State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has denounced the politically motivated detention of Hon Bright Ngene, who was sentenced to seven years in prison without an option of fine by Magistrate Onwu of Enugu South Magisterial district on June 28, 2024.
Ngene was convicted for conspiracy.
The Magistrate, allegedly acting under instructions, hastily concluded the long-pending case, ignoring protests from the community and a pending petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) regarding his manifest bias.
The LP chairman, Casmir Agbo, and publicity secretary, Onuora Odo, jointly condemned the judgment, urging the NJC to intervene and prevent further ridicule of the legal profession by officials compromised by political influences.
The statement partly reads: “We, the undersigned strongly condemn the unjust and politically motivated detention of Hon. Bright Ngene, the Labour Party candidate for Enugu South Urban State during the March 18, 2023 general elections, which he won and was sworn in as a member of Enugu House of Assembly.
“You would recall that Hon. Bright Ngene defeated his closest rival, Sam. Ngene during the elections. However, the PDP Candidate went to the Tribunal praying the Honourable Tribunal to to declare that the election was inconclusive.
“Consequently, the Tribunal ordered for a rerun in eight pooling units but, unfortunately, the said rerun didn’t take place on two occasions as the PDP Candidate was not prepared for the elections but was only plotting with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the election.
“It’s very obvious that the PDP-led government is in cahoots with the INEC to manipulate the election in favour of Sam Ngene.
“It’s on record that the rerun could not take place on two occasions 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.”
The statement added, “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, His Worship Onwu apparently acting under instructions hurriedly and haphazardly heard the case on the 28th day of June 2024 without Adoption of Addresses by parties, and sent Hon. Bright to prison for seven years without option of fine on trumped-up charge.”
Condemning the detention of Hon Ngene, the party described it as a blatant attempt to silence and prevent him from participating in the upcoming rerun election. “This move is a deliberate effort to stifle opposition in the state.
“We consider this detention a grave violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly given the pending petition before the National Judicial Council (NJC) regarding 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 Labour Party the statement noted stands in solidarity with him and all those persecuted for their political beliefs and activism. “We call on everyone to speak out and take action against this injustice, upholding the principle that when we witness something wrong, we must say something and do something.”
