As the funeral services for the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the former chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), began, Nigerians from all walks of life urged the federal government to preserve the memory of the democratic icon who held the country’s freest, most legitimate, and most equitable presidential election on June 12, 1993.
Speaking Tuesday in Abuja at the INEC burial ceremony for its late chairman, the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked for posthumous recognition for the previous INEC chairman who was instrumental in the historic presidential election on June 12, 1993. Professor Nwosu Humphrey.
During a somber ceremony honoring the late former Chairman Nwosu, the commission’s chairman, Prof. Yakubu Moahmud, gave this hint.
Nwosu made important contributions to Nigeria’s electoral process, Prof. Mahmoud noted, particularly the implementation of the Open Ballot System, or Option A4, which revolutionized election transparency in the country.
During a gathering at the Yaradua Center, the INEC Secretary listed Nwosu’s various accomplishments, such as moving the commission from Lagos to Abuja and constructing INEC headquarters, among many others.
Former Police Service Commission (PSC) chairman Simon Okeke made a comment in which he urged the federal government to honor the brave and creative professor by naming the INEC headquarters in his honor. The man who brought about the June 12 election has not been acknowledged as a patriot, he pointed out, but the late MKO Abiola has been acknowledged as the real victor.
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Similarly, Tonnie Iredia, Professor Jerry Gana, and former Information Minister Tonnie Gana, among others, spoke out and urged the federal government to honor those who deserve it.
Professor Nwosu died on October 20, 2024, in Virginia, USA, at the age of 83. He will be laid to rest on March 28 in his hometown of Ajalli, in the state of Anambra. They were in charge of the election body under the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida.
Although the purported 1993 election winner, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, was posthumously given Nigeria’s highest national award, Nwosu’s accomplishments have not yet been given the same recognition. Yakubu called on the government to make amends for this blunder and to recognize Nwosu’s steadfast dedication to electoral integrity.
