Name INEC Headquarters after Humphrey Nwosu - Chekwas Okorie

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By Iheanyi Chukwudi

President Bola Tinubu has been called upon to name the Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu.

Prof. Nwosu was the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) which later became INEC and he conducted the famous June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria.

The Founder, All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, who made the call on Monday in Enugu, stated with sadness that the most visible unsung hero of the much celebrated June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria "is Professor Humphrey Nwosu."

Apparently reacting to the last week's confession of the former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), that June 12, 1993 presidential election was the fairest and freest in Nigeria, Okorie wondered why Nwosu has not been honoured till date.

He said, "Nigerians commended President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 as Democracy Day in the place of May 29. He 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.

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 honored the June 12 heros written his book where he gave account of the true outcome of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

The details of the voting, 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, showed Chief Abiola secured a 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."

After more than three decades, General Ibrahim Babangida publicly presented his memoir in which he vindicated Professor Humphrey 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."

Regretting that Prof. Nwosu died without the deserved path on the back from a country he gave patriotic service, Okorie said the ball was now in the court of President Tinubu to give the former Nigerian Chief Electoral Officer, a befitting National Honour.

He said, "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."