ENUGU: For the umpteenth time, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC was unable to conduct the Enugu South Urban State Constituency rerun election, as voting failed to take place on Saturday at the designated venue, Uwani Secondary School, Enugu.
The constituency seat has remained vacant since the State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal annulled the March 18, 2023 polls and ordered a rerun in eight polling units, comprising 4,618 registered voters.
INEC’s first attempt to hold the rerun on February 3, 2024, was disrupted by controversy over alleged missing original result sheets. A second attempt two weeks later was marred by violence and mutual accusations between political parties. The latest exercise, scheduled for June 8, 2024, also collapsed amid disputes.
The rerun contest is between Labour Party’s Bright Ngene—who won the March 2023 election with 5,862 votes before his victory was nullified—and Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Sam Ngene, a former member of the Assembly. While Bright Ngene was sworn into office after the initial election, he is currently in prison over a separate community-related matter that has taken on political dimensions.
Despite a significant turnout of voters on Saturday and the availability of electoral materials, heightened tension and protests from rival camps prevented the process from commencing.
The election venue drew the presence of high-profile politicians, including the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji; Senator Kelvin Chukwu of Enugu East; and several House of Representatives members. Though elected under the Labour Party platform, many of them have since defected to the All Progressives Congress APC.
Enugu State Resident Electoral Commissioner REC, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, appealed for calm, stressing the importance of completing the process.
“We have attempted this election four times. I am pleading with stakeholders to allow us to conclude it peacefully. This crowd is unnecessary, and it is creating tension,” he told journalists.
However, protests by different groups continued throughout the day.
By 3pm, INEC officials, under heavy security escort, withdrew with the election materials, effectively halting the exercise once again. No results were announced.
