The political atmosphere in Enugu grew tense on Saturday following an accusation by PDP candidate, Sam Ngene, who alleged that the Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, disrupted the ongoing by-election in Enugu South Urban Constituency with the aid of hoodlums, a claim the minister promptly refuted.
The by-election is the result of a long legal and political battle, after the State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal nullified the March 18, 2023 election results, ordering a rerun in eight polling units, affecting 4,618 registered voters.
Previous attempts to conduct the rerun had failed.
On february 3, 2024, the rerun was cancelled due to alleged missing result sheets.
On February 14, 2024, it was abandoned after violence erupted.
While on June 8, 2024, the rerun election was postponed indefinitely, until Saturday’s fresh exercise.
The race has effectively become a two-man contest between Labour Party candidate, Barr. Bright Ngene, currently in prison over a community-related matter and PDP’s Sam Ngene, a former member of the House of Assembly.
Speaking at his polling unit, Sam Ngene alleged that the exercise was once again under threat from powerful political figures.
“We are here as PDP to conduct this election because we know that this is my stronghold, this is my ward, and my polling unit is one of the places that had this problem,” Ngene said.
“The first time, it was Senator Kelvin Chukwu from Nkanu West and some other people who were not supposed to be here. They disrupted this election. The second time, the same thing happened. This third time again, we are announcing that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, is also here, and I am wondering why he came. He came in here with hoodlums, with intimidation, disrupting this election and making sure that it does not hold.”
“Ask yourself, who are we even contesting with? Somebody is behind bars for fraudulent activity, convicted and sentenced, and he is still on the ballot. Is that supposed to be so? The answer is no. The constitution is very clear: if you are convicted or if you are an ex-convict, you cannot stand for any election. You can’t even vote. You have lost your freedom completely,” he stated.
In his reaction, Minister Uche Nnaji rejected the accusation, maintaining that his presence at the polling unit was lawful, as a leader and representative of his party.
“I am an APC man, and that is why I was appointed. I remain an APC man. I am the leader of APC in the state, and on that basis, I am the polling unit agent of APC. You can see my tag, so I am here rightfully,” Nnaji said.
He also denied bringing thugs to the venue.
“I don’t carry hoodlums. I carry policemen, army, and DSS—people that are friendly to the public, people that are law-abiding, people mandated by law to protect lives and property. That is what I use,” the minister stated.
Addressing the rising tension, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, appealed to stakeholders and voters for restraint.
“You can see the good number of political bigwigs present here today from the PDP, APC, and Labour Party. Many people are here, either to vote or to observe. However, according to one of our Corps members presiding over this election, some voters are saying they will not cast their votes unless the candidate currently in prison; who they allege isn’t constitutionally qualified is disqualified from contesting,” Dr. Chukwu said.
“So, I am pleading with members of the public and the good people of Enugu to kindly allow us to conclude this process today. This is my prayer. Let all of us conduct ourselves properly, regardless of our positions in society. This is the fourth time we are coming out for this election, and I am appealing to everyone to cooperate.”
“I honestly do not know why this place is even this crowded; it is not supposed to be so. Therefore, I am pleading with all stakeholders in Enugu State; let us not create problems in this election. Please, that is my prayer and my request,” he added.
