package emacsen-common 1.4.22ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 255

[cad106uk]

root@hannah-box:/usr# sudo apt-get install --reinstall --purge emacsen-common
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 reinstalled, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/16.9 kB of archives.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
(Reading database ... 595673 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace emacsen-common 1.4.22ubuntu1 (using .../emacsen-common_1.4.22ubuntu1_all.deb) ...
emacsen-common: Handling removal of emacsen flavor emacs
emacsen-common: Handling removal of emacsen flavor emacs23
emacsen-common: purging byte-compiled files for emacs23
Unpacking replacement emacsen-common ...
Setting up emacsen-common (1.4.22ubuntu1) ...
emacsen-common: Handling install of emacsen flavor emacs
emacsen-common: Handling install of emacsen flavor emacs23
emacsen-common: byte-compiling for emacs23
Warning: Could not find simple.el nor simple.elc
Cannot open load file: bytecomp
emacs-package-install: /usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/install/emacsen-common emacs23 emacs23 failed at /usr/lib/emacsen-common/emacs-package-install line 30, <TSORT> line 1.
dpkg: error processing emacsen-common (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 255
Errors were encountered while processing:
 emacsen-common
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
root@hannah-box:/usr#

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: emacsen-common 1.4.22ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-51.77-generic-pae 3.2.48
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-51-generic-pae i686
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.4
AptOrdering:
 emacsen-common: Install
 emacsen-common: Configure
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Aug 20 17:41:46 2013
DuplicateSignature: package:emacsen-common:1.4.22ubuntu1:subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 255
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 255
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release i386 (20120423)
MarkForUpload: True
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: emacsen-common
Title: package emacsen-common 1.4.22ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 255
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[cad106uk (cad106uk-gmail)]

A solution that worked for me is:

sudo apt-get purge emacsen-common
sudo apt-get install emacs