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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate South East Caucus has called on President Bola Tinubu to honour the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu by naming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after him.
Speaking on behalf of the members of the caucus, who briefed Senate correspondents, yesterday, Enyinnaya Abaribe emphasised Nwosu’s significant contributions to Nigeria’s electoral system, particularly as the chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC) during the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.
He noted that Nwosu laid the foundation for the present-day INEC headquarters before the military dissolved the commission in 1993. While emphasising that his role in organising the June 12 election, which was widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest before its annulment, the lawmaker argued that the incident remains a crucial part of the country’s democratic history.
The Abia lawmaker also highlighted the former electoral umpire’s defiance to a court order that sought to stop the 1993 election, describing his actions as crucial in shaping Nigeria’s democratic progress.
“Professor Humphrey Nwosu was the person who laid the foundation that we are all enjoying today. So, as far as we are concerned, we think that even if this government does not honour him, a government in future will honour him. After all, some other governments refused to recognise Abiola, but later, a government recognised him. Some other governments didn’t recognise June 12, but later a government recognised June 12 as our democracy day. So, we believe that in the future, a government in this country will make sure it recognises those who have been honoured; those who have actually sacrificed and used their everything to make Nigeria a better place. We want to thank those who continue to stand on June 12, those who sat on June 12, and those who did everything for June 12, including the government of today.
“If there was no election, there wouldn’t have been no June 12. Don’t forget that there was a court order that was done by Justice Ikpeme to stop the election and he defied that court order and pushed back and made sure that the election was held. If that election was not conducted, we wouldn’t be talking of results and there would be no June 12. So, as far as we are concerned, Professor Nwosu deserves this honour. He is our hero. It may be delayed, but it will not be denied,” he stated.
Earlier before the briefing, the Senate in plenary, had rejected a motion sponsored by Abaribe seeking to have the Senate recommend to the executive that the INEC headquarters be named after Professor Nwosu. The motion was debated robustly with lawmakers sharply divided over whether or not to honour him.
Speaking on the rejection, the lawmaker said the request aligned “with the views of former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, who recently expressed surprise that Nwosu has yet to be recognised for his contributions.”
Speaking in support of the motion, Victor Umeh from Anambra described Nwosu as not just an ordinary figure in Nigeria, but one who played a vital role in Nigeria’s transition to democracy by establishing democratic structures and overseeing various elections.
“Under his leadership, elections for the house of assembly, governorship, and national assembly were conducted using the Option A4 system, which required voters to physically line up behind their preferred candidates. These elections were widely praised, with minimal litigation over results.
“However, the most defining moment of his tenure was the June 12, 1993, presidential election. He prepared extensively for this historic election, which was meant to conclude his service to the nation. However, on June 11, he was summoned by the military government and ordered to halt the election. Despite pressure, he refused, citing the law that prohibited courts from stopping scheduled elections.
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“On June 12, he proceeded with the election, which was later recognised as Nigeria’s freest and fairest. As results were being announced, the military intervened and stopped the process, leading to a national crisis. Efforts to compel the announcement of the results through legal means were blocked when the military dissolved the National Electoral Commission on June 23, just two days before a court ruling on the matter.
“The struggle to validate the election result took a heavy toll on Nigeria, including loss of lives. Eventually, the government recognised Chief Moshood Abiola as the rightful winner and posthumously honoured him with the highest national award, GCFR. However, Professor Nwosu, who conducted the election, has not received similar recognition.”
In his contribution, Adams Oshiomhole representing Edo North, recalled the events surrounding the annulment of the June 12 elections and urged the Senate to reject the motion because Nwosu’s failure to announce the June 12 presidential election results led to pain and deaths of many Nigerians.
“Nigerians were really in pain because nobody was able to quote where Nwosu announced the results. It is his failure to announce the result, whether under threat or under whatever forces that prevented him from doing so that Nigerians were unable to say who was declared the winner. In fact, I was active in that struggle. When we met with the late General Sani Abacha, he said the reason he decided to order the detention of MKO Abiola was that he proclaimed himself as the winner of the election, and as president. It was on that basis that Abiola was arrested and he died in detention.
“If Nwosu would have had the courage to announce the winner and damn the consequences, after all, he who is not ready to die for something, will end up dying for nothing. We cannot distort history in this Senate. We must be seen to have sentiments that reflect the average feeling of the average Nigerian. Nwosu’s courage failed him when it mattered most. And when you give national honours, and recognition, you do so for people who have shown courage, who have paid the supreme price, or who were ready to pay that price.
“I’m on record as saying that Nwosu and Babangida fooled 18 million Nigerians who voted. Nwosu is not on record before his death, as admitting that before I die, let me confess that there was a winner,” he said.
Supporting Oshiomhole, Adeola Olamilekan from Ogun State lamented that the action or inaction of Prof. Nwosu led to the death of many Nigerians, including his older brother, who he said died beside him during the unrest caused by the annulment of the June 22 election.
“He does not deserve to be immortalised,” adding that contrary to insinuations by some of his colleagues that they were contributing to the debate based on party and ethnic bias, his position was taken from his personal experience.
Similarly, Cyril Fasuyi argued that no matter how good, efforts are not enough to be rewarded if they don’t yield results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he stated.
However, Yahaya Abdullahi called for the right thing to be done by immortalising Nwosu for his service to the nation.
At the end of the debate, the Senate held a one minute silence in honour of the former chairman of the electoral commission.
