The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Bright Ngene of the Labour Party (LP) as the winner of the rerun election for Enugu South Urban Constituency in Enugu State.
INEC spokesperson, Sam Olumekun, announced the result in a statement on Tuesday, confirming that Mr Ngene polled the highest number of votes to defeat his closest rival, Sam Ngene of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The rerun election, held on 16 August 2025, marked the fourth attempt at conducting the court-ordered poll, which had repeatedly suffered disruptions since February 2024.
Candidate declared winner while serving jail term
Despite his victory, Mr Ngene remains behind bars.
He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence at the Enugu State Correctional Centre after being convicted by an Enugu South Magistrate Court on 28 July 2024 over a communal crisis.
The LP candidate was first arraigned in 2017 alongside others for allegedly mismanaging ₦15m belonging to Akwuke community in Enugu South LGA.
The case had been referred to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) but was revived shortly after his electoral win in 2023.
Observers argue that his prosecution and hurried conviction were politically motivated, especially as it came in the middle of his repeated victories in earlier rerun elections.
Certificates of Return to be issued
According to INEC, Certificates of Return will be presented to winners of National Assembly elections on Thursday, 21 August 2025, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
For State House of Assembly members-elect, including Mr Ngene, the certificates will be issued by Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at state offices on Friday, 22 August 2025.
Olumekun stressed that the conclusion of the rerun in both Enugu and Kano States was significant after previous exercises had been marred by violence and thuggery.
Long road of legal battles
Bright Ngene originally won the Enugu South Urban Constituency election on 18 March 2023, but his victory was nullified by a tribunal in September that year.
The tribunal ordered a rerun within 90 days after PDP candidate Sam Ngene challenged the result.
Since then, multiple rerun attempts were held, with the LP candidate consistently emerging victorious, only for the polls to be cancelled on technical or logistical grounds. Even the most recent rerun initially appeared inconclusive after officials failed to produce sensitive election materials, including result sheets.
Despite these hurdles—and his ongoing imprisonment—INEC has now declared Bright Ngene the winner, setting the stage for fresh legal and political controversy in Enugu State.
