Protesters besiege NBA conference, demand release of jailed Enugu lawmaker-elect

Supporters of Bright Ngene, winner of the recent rerun election in Enugu south urban constituency, on Monday protested at the venue of the ongoing annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the state.

The protesters asked the NBA to intervene in the incarceration of Ngene at the Enugu correctional centre.

They held aloft placards with inscriptions like ‘NBA save your member from political imprisonment’, ‘Injustice to one lawyer is injustice to all lawyers’, ‘say no to miscarriage of justice’, among others.

On July 28, 2024, Ngene, a member of the Labour Party (LP), was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a magistrate court over issues pertaining to a communal dispute.

Despite being in prison, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of the rerun poll for the Enugu south urban constituency in the state assembly.

The election was held after court judgments nullified Ngene’s victory in the March 2023 elections.

Speaking during the protest, Kachukwu Benedict, one of the protesters, said all efforts to take the case to the state high court proved abortive.

Benedict described the incarceration of the lawmaker-elect as “unjust and political”.

“We are here to tell the world what has been happening in Enugu state for the past one year,” he said.

“On 28th July, 2024, Honourable Bright Emeka Ngene was unjustly incarcerated on baseless charges. Judicial processes were not followed. In less than two weeks, justice was dispensed.”