Tension flared on Monday at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA AGC) in Enugu as lawyers and protesters called for the release of Labour Party Member-Elect, Hon. Barr. Bright Ngene.
Ngene, who was declared winner of the Enugu South Urban rerun election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), remains in custody at the Enugu Correctional Centre despite securing his mandate.
A team of lawyers, led by outspoken Warri-based legal practitioner John Aikpokpo-Martins and accompanied by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Kunle Edun, visited Ngene in prison to express solidarity.
The delegation, which included several volunteer lawyers, alleged that his detention was politically motivated.
Outside the NBA conference venue, protesters held placards describing Ngene as a victim of political persecution and demanding his immediate release.
Speaking after the visit, Aikpokpo-Martins expressed concern that Ngene was “being denied access to justice by the legal profession itself,” a situation he described as deeply troubling.
The controversy adds to ongoing debates at the NBA conference over judicial independence, access to justice, and the urgent need for justice sector reforms in Nigeria.
