Senate rejects motion to immortalise Ex-NEC chair, Humphrey Nwosu

The Senate, on Wednesday, rejected a motion seeking to immortalise Humphrey Nwosu, a former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), for his role in the historic 12 June 1993 presidential election.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, announced the decision to reject the motion after most senators opposed its presentation.

The motion was jointly sponsored by Abia South Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), Orji Kalu (APC, Abia North), Austin Akobondu (PDP, Abia), Adamu Ailero (PDP, Kebbi Central) and Victor Umeh, (LP, Anambra Central).

Others are Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu North) Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West), Onyekachi Nwebonyi (AP, Ebonyi North) Anthony Ani, Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West) Patrick Ndubueze (APC, Imo North).

This rejection comes a day before Mr Nwosu’s scheduled burial in his hometown in Anambra State.

Mr Nwosu, a professor, died in the United States in October 2024, at 83.

The motion was initially suspended on Tuesday after most of the senators opposed it and rescheduled for debate today.

Background of the June 12 election and Nwosu’s role

The 12 June 1993 presidential election, held 32 years ago, is generally regarded as Nigeria’s freest and most credible election.

However, the winner, Moshood Abiola, candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), was never installed after the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election.

The former military president officially announced the annulment of the election in a national broadcast on 24 June 1993.

In his recently launched autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” Mr Babangida, a retired general, claimed that the annulment was orchestrated by the late military ruler Sani Abacha, who was then the chief of defence staff.

The former Nigerian leader insisted that he never authorised the annulment and acknowledged the election as credible.

Mr Nwosu, as NEC (now Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, oversaw the election using the innovative Option A4 voting system, which ensured transparency. He had begun announcing the election results before the military halted the process.

However, despite Mr Nwosu’s role in organising the election, opinions on his legacy remain divided. Some see him as a hero for conducting a transparent poll, while others blame him for failing to resist its annulment.

The motion to immortalise Nwosu

While presenting the motion, Mr Abaribe emphasised that Mr Nwosu’s efforts in ensuring a credible electoral process were instrumental in establishing 12 June as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

The senator explained that the late NEC chairperson stood his ground to conduct the 12 June 1993 elections despite threats from military dictatorship.

“His courageous defense of democratic electoral process during the 1993 presidential elections led to the famous June 12, which ultimately confirmed Alhaji M.K.O Abiola as the winner of the election.

“He stood his ground, ensuring that Nigeria’s electoral wishes and aspirations were realised, which culminated in June 12 being marked as the authentic democracy day due to his unwavering stand as an umpire,” he said .

Mr Abaribe argued that Mr Nwosu laid a foundation for the present INEC with his actions to go ahead with the election despite military threats.

“Professor Humphrey Nwosu laid a landmark foundation for the present independent National Electoral Commission today and that Professor Humphrey Mwosu passed away on the 20th of October 2024, aged 83 years old.

“Despite his contributions, Professor Humphrey Mwosu was seemingly neglected until his death, which highlights complaints of unfair treatment of notable public servants,” he added.

He therefore demanded that the federal government should immortalise Mr Nwosu by renaming the present INEC headquarters after him.

Mr Abaribe also requested the federal government to posthumously bestow Mr Nwosu with a national honour and that condolences should be extended to the family and recognise their sacrifice in supporting his work towards a better Nigeria.

The senator urged his colleagues to observe a minute of silence in honour of the late INEC chairperson.

However, the motion generated divisions among the senators.

Debates

Some senators supported the motion with the arguement that Mr Nwosu should be recognised for his courage.

Victor Umeh, (LP, Anambra Central) who seconded the motion, urged his colleagues to support the motion to recognise Mr Nwosu’s effort during the election.

“This motion is a very crucial motion. When a man leaves this world and makes an impact when he departs , his departure should be marked. Professor Nwosu was not just an ordinary person in Nigeria, he was chairman of NEC for five years under the military regime. He revived Nigeria and put in place a democratic structure successfully using his designed A4 voting system. We are celebrated across the world. The country enjoys his stewardship.

“He prepared for the famous June 12 presidential election. He was summoned by the military government and was asked to postpone the election or stop it, he said no. He conducted the exercise and started announcing the result. He was about to announce Taraba State when the military stopped him,” Mr Umeh said.

Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) urged the Senate to adopt the motion because he believed Mr Nwosu was a hero.

“Whether we support or against, Professor Nwosu will be buried tomorrow. Ibrahim Babangida held an event recently and everybody attended. If Nwosu was alive today and held a colloquium, everybody would still go there. He was a chairman during the military regime. There was no way he could have announced the result with gun on his head,” he said.

Mr Ngwu thereafter requested that the Senate stop debate on the motion in order to respect the late former NEC chairperson.

“For the respect of the dead, we should not debate the matter and go to the prayers,” he submitted.

Patrick Ndubueze (APC, Imo North) said, “I’m involved to know what happened. For those who were saying he didn’t announce the result, he was under military dictatorship. The military foresaw his courage and that was why they wished him away. How did you expect him to announce results when he was under the military?

“If he had not announced the few ones, how would we know that it was Abiola that won the election? Humphrey Nwosu is a master in electoral issues. He’s somebody who conducted the best election.”

Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) warned against deploying personal, political and ethnic sentiments to judge the motion.

“We should not allow our personal sentiments and party affiliation to affect our judgement. I was a presiding officer during the June 12 election. He did his best despite the court order. Despite the threats by the military cabal, he went ahead to announce the election. It is very disappointing that some of us are distorting facts because Nwosu is an Igbo man,” he said.

Sampson Ekong (PDP, Akwa-Ibom) said, ”What we are saying is the honour that Nigeria owes this man. If Nwosu is not celebrated, who will be celebrated? Is it the judge who gave that judgement? This man showed courage.”

Opposition to the motion

Other senators opposed the motion with arguements that Mr Nwosu lacked the courage to fully declare the results.

Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) argued that if Mr Nwosu had announced the full results, he could have saved history.

“Nigerians were really in pain because nobody was able to quote where Professor Nwosu announced the result. I was an activist in that struggle. If Prof Nwosu had the courage to announce the result, he could have saved history. Professor Nwosu and Babangida fooled Nigerians who voted during the election.

“If he was afraid of the gun, but there were Nigerians who were protesting under the gun. Before his death, I would have expected Professor Nwosu to clear the air and he died without confession. He cannot be rewarded,” Mr Oshiomhole said.

Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) argued that if former INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, could have the courage to declare the opposition party winner of the presidential election in 2015, then Mr Nwosu’s fear of military threat would not be acceptable.

He said, “We cannot operate within the Rivers of complexities. It is a vulnerability of democracy that is before us this morning because the professor didn’t have the courage to announce the election.

“Jega had the courage to face Jonathan that he didn’t win the election and declared Buhari the winner. He didn’t die and nothing happened. We didn’t even name anything about him. I wished Professor Humphrey Nwosu a journey of mercy but the Senate should run away from naming him. History will not be kind to you, you’re the one presiding . I don’t believe in Buhari.”

Cyril Fasuyi (APC, Ekiti North) submitted that Mr Nwosu only made efforts but that he failed at the critical moment when Nigerians needed him most.

“Conscience is an open wound and only the truth can heal it. I’ve attended a lot of courses in the management school and I know there is a lot of difference between effort and results. Nobody rewards effort. We thank everything that Humphrey Nwosu did but one thing that is lacking is the result. He only made efforts and as long as he did not announce the result, he cannot be called a hero. I’m against the prayer that he should be immortalised by renaming INEC headquarters after him,” he said.

Solomon Olamilekan (APC, Ogun West) detailed how he lost his younger brother because of the refusal of Mr Nwosu to announce the result.

“This is one issue I have tried as much as I could to avoid because it is about to remind me of a bad memory. As a result of the action of Professor Humphrey Nwosu, I lost my immediate younger brother. He died right in front of me because Nwosu failed to do his duty.

“Yes, he released the result but he failed at the critical moment. If he’s too cowardly to withdraw at the critical moment. Professor Humphrey Nwosu does not deserve to be immortalised. I’m not speaking along the line of ethnicity but I’m speaking as a Nigerian,” he said.

Oyelola Ashiru (APC, Kwara South), cautioned that further debate could divide the Senate, while Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), argued that renaming national monuments should be the responsibility of the executive, not the legislature.

After the debate, Mr Jibrin put the motion to vote and most of the senators opposed it through voice votes.

The deputy senate president thereafter announced rejection of the motion but directed the senators to observe one-minute silence in honour of the late NEC chairperson.