Court Sentences LP Candidate to Seven Years Imprisonment

An Enugu South Magistrate Court presided over by Justice E D Onwu, has sentenced the Labour Party candidate for Enugu South Urban state Constituency, Hon Bright Ngene, to 7 years’ imprisonment.

The Magistrate, who handed the verdict on Friday had on Thursday, said that he was under instruction to deal with a matter involving the LP candidate who won the Enugu South Urban state Constituency, during the March 18, 2023, general elections.

Ngene and two others were arraigned in court since 2017 by the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu command in a matter involving himself and his community worth about N15million.

After he won the 2023 general elections against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, who also challenged the victory of Ngene and sought for the election to be declared inconclusive, which the election petition tribunal agreed and ordered rerun election in eight polling units, the ruling government resurrected the matter involving his community development fund.

The matter was abandoned since 2017 when he was lawyer for his community, Akwuke, Enugu State.

SaharaReporters reported on June 25, that Bright Ngene had raised the alarm over an alleged conspiracy between the executive and judiciary arms of the state government to imprison him.

Ngene, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, had claimed that the plot was aimed at punishing him for insisting on the mandate he won in the March 18, 2023 House of Assembly Election.

He had noted that the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice A. R Ozoemena, the Deputy Chief Registrar, Chijioke Agbo, and Magistrate E. D Onwu colluded to disregard the petition pending before the National Judicial Council which seized the case.

Ngene is seeking for an urgent intervention to prevent what he sees as a gross miscarriage of justice aimed at terminating his political and legal careers.

Ngene of the Labour Party was declared the winner of last year’s Enugu South Rural Constituency election and was sworn into the House of Assembly but was aborted by the court in a petition by his rival, Sam Ngene of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Re-run elections for the disputed eight polling units in the Constituency have been held twice but were inconclusive, while the scheduled third-time re-run of June 8 was cancelled without notice to the LP candidate.

In his petition to the NJC, Ngene alleged that “there is corruptive agreement between the Honourable Chief Judge of Enugu State, His Lordship A. R Ozoemena, the Deputy Chief Registrar N.L Chijioke Agbo, His Worship E. D Onwu, Esq and the Enugu State government to at all cost or willy nilly put me behind bars before a re-run is conducted over my seat in the Enugu State House of Assembly.

“Otherwise, why are these parties applying impunity in continuing with the trial when the NJC has accepted custody of the matter? The ideal thing is that parties in this matter should relax for NJC to decide but they are rushing the matter to put me behind bars and go ahead to conduct the re-run election.

“I seek the NJC to save me from oppression, persecution, and impeding wrongful conviction bathed by corruption and obvious abuse of judicial office and power.

“Unless the National Judicial Council intervenes, the Honourable Chief Judge of Enugu State, the Deputy Chief Registrar, and His Worship E. D Onwu will wrongfully and corruptly destroy my ambition to continue to be in the House of Assembly of Enugu State and dent my political and legal career with conviction,” Ngene petitioned.

But when the matter came up for adoption of written addresses, on Thursday, there was an uproar in court room as three lawyers fought fruitlessly to dissuade the magistrate to give a long adjournment date in a matter against Ngene and two others.

While the defence counsels, Messrs CJ S Okereke, Benjamin C. Nwobodo and Frabel Awgu asked the trial Magistrate to adjourn the matter till next week to enable them study and reply to application filed by the prosecuting counsel, His Worship E D Ownu insisted that court must sit Friday.

The Magistrate said, “I would have loved to handoff this case but I am under the directive of the Chief Judge. The last time when the case was taken from me, I was so happy. I went to Universal Hotel to celebrate with my friend. I said that at least I can now rest. So now, they now assigned the case to me again. So if they tell me to hands off the case, I will gladly do so. But as it is I am under instruction.”

When every efforts by the defence counsels failed to sway the trial Magistrate, they stormed out of the court, visibly angry.

Addressing journalists on the outcome of the proceeding, Barr. C. J. S Okereke said that the community had applied to discontinue the matter and wanted the matter transferred to another magistrate court in Enugu South Magisterial Court other than that of His Worship, Onwu who they felt is biased and compromised.

“This court is biased. We have filed an application that the matter should be transferred to another court. Let another court see this matter because this court is compromised.”

Accusing Justice Onwu of compromising in the case, Okereke said that they petitioned National Judicial Council, that they were not happy with Onwu handling the matter.

“After his disposition, Onwu, became unbearable, we saw counter and conflicting orders, we wrote the Chief Judge of Enugu State for direction as to which court we are going to hear this matter, there was no reply. We wrote again and there was no reply and we were constrained to go to the highest disciplinary body of the bench, the NJC on June 7 and we got acknowledgment that the matter is being looked into.

“I don’t know why this court still wants to hear the matter,” he lamented saying that there was a gang plan to commit his client to prison so that he would not participate in the rerun election to maintain his position at the Enugu State House of Assembly where he had been representing Enugu South Urban Constituency before the Court of Appeals annulled the election and called for a rerun in eight polling booths.

Irked by the development, people from Akwuke Community carried placards condemning Ownu for his bias disposition in the case.

Some of the placards read: “His Worship E D Ownu is grossly lawless and rascal in presiding the case”; “E D Ownu how much were you paid?” among other inscriptions.

Despite the matter was still pending before the Nigerian Judiciary Council, accusations against Magistrate Ownu, on Friday afternoon, he sat and convicted the LP candidate and sentenced to seven years.

In a telephone interview, the Magistrate said that there must be an end to litigation.

Credit: Saharareporters

Court Sentences LP Candidate to Seven Years Imprisonment An Enugu South Magistrate Court presided over by Justice E D Onwu, has sentenced the Labour Party candidate for Enugu South Urban state Constituency, Hon Bright Ngene, to 7 years’ imprisonment.The Magistrate, who handed the verdict on Friday had on Thursday, said that he was under instruction to deal with a matter involving the LP candidate who won the Enugu South Urban state Constituency, during the March 18, 2023, general elections.Ngene and two others were arraigned in court since 2017 by the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu command in a matter involving himself and his community worth about N15million.After he won the 2023 general elections against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, who also challenged the victory of Ngene and sought for the election to be declared inconclusive, which the election petition tribunal agreed and ordered rerun election in eight polling units, the ruling government resurrected the matter involving his community development fund.The matter was abandoned since 2017 when he was lawyer for his community, Akwuke, Enugu State.SaharaReporters reported on June 25, that Bright Ngene had raised the alarm over an alleged conspiracy between the executive and judiciary arms of the state government to imprison him. Ngene, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, had claimed that the plot was aimed at punishing him for insisting on the mandate he won in the March 18, 2023 House of Assembly Election. He had noted that the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice A. R Ozoemena, the Deputy Chief Registrar, Chijioke Agbo, and Magistrate E. D Onwu colluded to disregard the petition pending before the National Judicial Council which seized the case. Ngene is seeking for an urgent intervention to prevent what he sees as a gross miscarriage of justice aimed at terminating his political and legal careers.Ngene of the Labour Party was declared the winner of last year’s Enugu South Rural Constituency election and was sworn into the House of Assembly but was aborted by the court in a petition by his rival, Sam Ngene of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Re-run elections for the disputed eight polling units in the Constituency have been held twice but were inconclusive, while the scheduled third-time re-run of June 8 was cancelled without notice to the LP candidate.In his petition to the NJC, Ngene alleged that “there is corruptive agreement between the Honourable Chief Judge of Enugu State, His Lordship A. R Ozoemena, the Deputy Chief Registrar N.L Chijioke Agbo, His Worship E. D Onwu, Esq and the Enugu State government to at all cost or willy nilly put me behind bars before a re-run is conducted over my seat in the Enugu State House of Assembly.”Otherwise, why are these parties applying impunity in continuing with the trial when the NJC has accepted custody of the matter? The ideal thing is that parties in this matter should relax for NJC to decide but they are rushing the matter to put me behind bars and go ahead to conduct the re-run election.”I seek the NJC to save me from oppression, persecution, and impeding wrongful conviction bathed by corruption and obvious abuse of judicial office and power.”Unless the National Judicial Council intervenes, the Honourable Chief Judge of Enugu State, the Deputy Chief Registrar, and His Worship E. D Onwu will wrongfully and corruptly destroy my ambition to continue to be in the House of Assembly of Enugu State and dent my political and legal career with conviction,” Ngene petitioned.But when the matter came up for adoption of written addresses, on Thursday, there was an uproar in court room as three lawyers fought fruitlessly to dissuade the magistrate to give a long adjournment date in a matter against Ngene and two others.While the defence counsels, Messrs CJ S Okereke, Benjamin C. Nwobodo and Frabel Awgu asked the trial Magistrate to adjourn the matter till next week to enable them study and reply to application filed by the prosecuting counsel, His Worship E D Ownu insisted that court must sit Friday.The Magistrate said, “I would have loved to handoff this case but I am under the directive of the Chief Judge. The last time when the case was taken from me, I was so happy. I went to Universal Hotel to celebrate with my friend. I said that at least I can now rest. So now, they now assigned the case to me again. So if they tell me to hands off the case, I will gladly do so. But as it is I am under instruction.”When every efforts by the defence counsels failed to sway the trial Magistrate, they stormed out of the court, visibly angry.Addressing journalists on the outcome of the proceeding, Barr. C. J. S Okereke said that the community had applied to discontinue the matter and wanted the matter transferred to another magistrate court in Enugu South Magisterial Court other than that of His Worship, Onwu who they felt is biased and compromised.”This court is biased. We have filed an application that the matter should be transferred to another court. Let another court see this matter because this court is compromised.”Accusing Justice Onwu of compromising in the case, Okereke said that they petitioned National Judicial Council, that they were not happy with Onwu handling the matter.”After his disposition, Onwu, became unbearable, we saw counter and conflicting orders, we wrote the Chief Judge of Enugu State for direction as to which court we are going to hear this matter, there was no reply. We wrote again and there was no reply and we were constrained to go to the highest disciplinary body of the bench, the NJC on June 7 and we got acknowledgment that the matter is being looked into.”I don’t know why this court still wants to hear the matter,” he lamented saying that there was a gang plan to commit his client to prison so that he would not participate in the rerun election to maintain his position at the Enugu State House of Assembly where he had been representing Enugu South Urban Constituency before the Court of Appeals annulled the election and called for a rerun in eight polling booths.Irked by the development, people from Akwuke Community carried placards condemning Ownu for his bias disposition in the case. Some of the placards read: “His Worship E D Ownu is grossly lawless and rascal in presiding the case”; “E D Ownu how much were you paid?” among other inscriptions.Despite the matter was still pending before the Nigerian Judiciary Council, accusations against Magistrate Ownu, on Friday afternoon, he sat and convicted the LP candidate and sentenced to seven years. In a telephone interview, the Magistrate said that there must be an end to litigation.Credit: Saharareporters