By NNEKA IBE
The by-election in Enugu South Urban constituency on Saturday was marred by tension as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sam Ngene, accused the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, of interfering in the exercise with the aid of hoodlums—an allegation the minister swiftly denied.
The rerun followed a long-standing legal and political tussle after the State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal nullified the March 18, 2023, results and ordered fresh voting in eight polling units with 4,618 registered voters. Earlier attempts to hold the by-election had repeatedly failed. On February 3, 2024, the exercise was aborted over alleged missing result sheets; on February 14, violence forced its cancellation; while on June 8, it was postponed indefinitely until Thursday’s fourth attempt.
The contest has essentially been between Labour Party’s Bright Ngene—who was sworn into the Assembly in 2023 but is now in prison over a community-related case—and PDP’s Sam Ngene, a former lawmaker.
Speaking at his polling unit, PDP’s Ngene alleged that powerful figures were bent on frustrating the election. He said the election had been disrupted multiple times in the past, accusing Minister Uche Nnaji of repeating the same pattern. He also questioned the eligibility of his Labour Party rival, insisting that a candidate serving a prison term should not be on the ballot, noting that the constitution disqualifies convicts from contesting or even voting.
In his response, Minister Uche Nnaji dismissed the allegations, stressing that he was at the polling unit in his capacity as APC leader in Enugu State. He insisted that he was lawfully accredited as the party’s polling unit agent and denied bringing hoodlums, stating that he was accompanied only by security personnel, including police, army, and DSS operatives.
As tension heightened, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, appealed for calm and urged stakeholders to allow the exercise to proceed peacefully. He expressed concern about the unusually large crowd at the polling unit, warning that the situation could escalate if not properly managed. He pleaded with all political actors and the public to cooperate so the process could finally be concluded after several failed attempts.
