By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
The Senate on Thursday rejected a motion seeking to honour late Prof Humphrey Nwosu, who as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the JUNE 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.
In the motion he re-sponsored on Thursday after it was thrown out on Wednesday, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has prayed that his colleagues should pass a resolution for the naming of the INEC headquarters in Abuja after the late Humphrey Nwosu
The Abia Senator Abaribe also called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the prayers sparked heated debate and divided the senators.
Some of the lawmakers opposed the proposal because Nwosu failed to announce the result of the election described as the fairest and freest ever conducted in Nigeria.
Arguing along this line, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim queried why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results of the election he conducted.
“Nothing should be named after him,” Ibrahim said.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” Senator Cyril Fasuyi said.
In the same vein, Senator Sunday Karimi criticized Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out.
On the other hand, Senator Afolabi Salisu noted that immortalizing Nwosu would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
While defending Nwosu, Senator Osita Ngwu noted that he operated under a military regime and was thus restricted from announcing the results.
“There was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero,” Senator Osita Ngwu said.
However, after the heated debate, Abaribe’s motion was rejected. However, the Senate resolve honour him Nwosu a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family.
The late Nwosu served as Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993.
Nwosu passed away on Oct. 24, 2024, at the age of 83. Reports indicate that he will be buried on March 28, 2025.
Recall that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had at a programme organised by the commission in honour of Nwosu, said it was never too late to honour the late NEC chairman posthumously.
Yakubu said that Nwosu did his best but which was not appreciated by many, including those who appointed him under an infinite transition from military rule to democracy.
He noted that the tenure ended in the annulment of the presidential election held in 1993, resulting in the dissolution of the electoral commission and the emergence of an interim national government.
“However, with the passage of time, the outcome of his effort is now widely appreciated. The election is now celebrated as one of the best in Nigeria. Even those who annulled it have expressed regret.
“A quarter of a century (25 years) later in June 2018, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, received the highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) posthumously.
“His running mate, Amb. Baba Gana Kingibe, was conferred with the second highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
“The date of the election (June 12, 1993) has been gazetted as a national holiday and appropriately named as Democracy Day.
“Sadly, the electoral commission that conducted the election which was personified by Prof. Nwosu received only a muffled commendation as if no one conducted the election.
“Surely, the election did not conduct itself. It was organised by a commission made up of commissioners and a chairman.
“If it was an oversight that Prof. Nwosu was not honoured in his lifetime, it is never late for the appropriate authority to do so posthumously,” he said.
Yakubu said that INEC would continue to appreciate Nwosu and the dedicated service he rendered to Nigeria.
He acknowledged Nwosu’s contributions to Nigeria’s electoral processes, particularly his introduction of the open ballot system, known as Option A4.
The INEC chairman said that among all his six predecessors and seven successors till date, Nwosu had the most arduous task of managing elections in an extremely challenging context.
“He introduced many innovations in election management.
“In physical terms, he laid the foundation for the independence of the commission by initiating the current three-layer structure for the commission, with offices at national, state and local government levels,” he said.
