By Adadareporters
There was protest in Enugu on Thursday following reported plots to jail one Mr Bright Ngene, the Labour Party candidate for Enugu South Urban State Constituency in the rescheduled state Assembly rerun. The protesters claim that some people want to jail Ngene to halt his participation in the rerun.
The protesters, mainly from Akwuke Community of the constituency, carried placards condemning what they described as a desperate move by His Worship E D Ownwu to subvert justice
Some of the placards read: “His Worship E D Onwu is grossly lawless in presiding the case”; “E D Onwu how much were you paid?”
It was gathered that His Worship ED Onwu, who presided over the Enugu South Magisterial District, attracted the wrath of the natives when, during a court hearing of an alleged criminal matter involving Mr Ngene and two others, on Thursday, reportedly said that, “I would have loved to hands off 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 him to hands off the case, I will gladly do so.”
It was learnt that Mr Bright Ngene, the LP candidate, and two others are standing trial in a resurrected matter involving his community’s development fund which was abandoned since since 2017 when he was the lawyer for his community, Akwuke.
When the matter came up for adoption of written addresses on Thursday, there was an uproar in the courtroom 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 counsel, Messrs CJ S Okereke, Benjamin C. Nwobodo and Frabel Awgu, asked the trial magistrate to adjourn the matter till next week to enable them to study and reply to the application filed by the prosecuting counsel, His Worship E D Onwu insisted that the court must sit today being Friday. The matter, it was gathered, had been lingering since 2017 before Ngene ran for the Assembly election, which he won. His election was shortlived as the Appeal Court ordered a rerun in eight polling booths sequel to a challenge filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Barr C. J. S Okereke told newsmen that the community had applied to discontinue the matter and wanted the matter transferred to another magistrate court in Enugu South Magisterial Court instead of His Worship Onwu.
He said, “This court is biased. We have filed an application that the matter be transferred to another court. Let another court see this matter because this court is compromised.”
Okereke said that they petitioned the National Judicial Council, adding that, “When the trial magistrate’s disposition 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. We got acknowledgment that the matter is being looked into.”
He alleged that there is 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 his election and called for a rerun in eight polling booths.
