The Enugu South Urban Constituency by-election could not hold on Saturday despite a large turnout of voters at Uwani Secondary School, the designated polling venue.
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission had set up election materials, no voters cast their ballots by 3:20 p.m., prompting officials to close the polling unit and pack up.
Earlier, INEC officials were unable to commence voting due to the unavailability of sensitive materials, including result sheets.
Tensions escalated when a group of women staged protests, alleging undue interference by politicians and insisting that the Labour Party candidate be disqualified over a criminal conviction. It was said that he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in July 2024 by an Enugu South Magistrates’ Court presided over by E.D. Onwu for a N15 million community development fund scandal. The judgment remains under appeal.
Enugu State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, decried the lack of progress and urged politicians to allow the process to conclude.
“This is the fourth time this by-election has been attempted without success. I am pleading with all stakeholders to behave responsibly and allow us to conclude this process. The people of Enugu deserve a fair election,” he said.
The People’s Democratic Party candidate, Sam Ngene, expressed frustration over the delay, citing the presence of high-profile officials as a disruption.
“If you look properly, there is strong mobilisation for this election. The problem is the infiltration of influential figures like the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and Senator Kevil Chukwu, who are interfering with the process,” .My opponent is behind bars. The constitution is clear: a convict cannot contest an election,” he said.
Defending his presence, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, said he was acting in his capacity as APC leader in Enugu State.
“I have a right to be here because I am the leader of my party in the state,” he stated. “The PDP cannot win this election. If the election is not concluded today, we will stay here until it is,” Nnaji said.
LP Chairman in Enugu South, Chinwuba Ngwu, also criticised the lack of progress.
“We have been here since 7 a.m. There is no accreditation, no voting, and no information from INEC. We are in the dark,” he said.
The seat has been vacant since the State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal nullified the March 18, 2023, election results and ordered a rerun in eight polling units, which together have 4,618 registered voters. In the original poll, Bright Ngene was declared the winner with 5,862 votes, defeating runner-up Sam Ngene by over 2,000 votes.
INEC has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the inconclusive by-election, which marks the fourth failed attempt to conduct a vote in the constituency. Previous attempts were on February 3, February 14, and June 8, 2024.
