The founder and first national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has urged President Bola Tinubu to name the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja after late Professor Humphrey Nwosu for the critical role he played as chairman of the electoral body during the June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria.
Okorie described Nwosu, the national Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC) as one of the most visible unsung heroes of the much celebrated June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The former Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of APGA however expressed sadness that Nwosu has not been accorded the recognition he deserved.
Okorie recalled that Nigerians commended President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 as Democracy Day in the place of May 29, and that Buhari also affirmed late Chief M.K.O Abiola, the winner of the June 12 presidential election, along with Alhaji Babagana Kingigbe as his running mate.
He noted that the two were accordingly honored with the requisite National Honors of GCFR and GCON, respectively.
“Regrettably, no mention was made of Professor Humphrey Nwosu in the honors list for the historic June 12 election. Professor Nwosu had long before President Buhari honoured the June 12 heroes written his book where he gave account of the true outcome of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, including the figures scored by Chief MKO Abiola the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and Alhaji Bashir Tofa, the presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention, NRC, showing Chief Abiola’s resounding victory in that election.
“The undisputed fact is that there would be no June 12 celebration in Nigeria without Professor Humphrey Nwosu. He stuck out his neck in the face of obvious threats to his life by a military junta determined to scuttle the election and announced the actual election results.
“This did not prevent General Ibrahim Babangida, the military President of Nigeria, from proceeding to annul the election,” he said.
He said that after more than 30 years, General Ibrahim Babangida publicly presented his memoir, in which he vindicated Nwosu.
“He even boasted that it was under his watch that Nigeria had the fairest and freest presidential election. Yet the architect of this unprecedented national feat remained unsung. The big question is, when will Nigeria have the good fortune to have the likes of Professor Humphrey Nwosu to preside over our Independent National Electoral Commission again?
“President Muhammadu Buhari has done his own bit by giving Nigeria a more acceptable Democracy Day, which is June 12, and honored late MKO Abiola as former President and a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR. The ball is now in the court of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give Professor Nwosu a befitting National Honour.
“Unfortunately, Professor Humphrey Nwosu died recently and his burial programme has been announced by his family. It is the expectation of Nigerians that President Tinubu should authorize a national burial for him. It will be to the credit of President Tinubu, the only true civilian to be elected President of Nigeria after President Shehu Shagari and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to approve the National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to be named after PROFESSOR HUMPHREY NWOSU,” he said.
