Agenda Papers Editorial:What’s the fuss in honouring & immortalizing Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, ex NEC chairman & June 12 hero—By Austine Uche-Ejeke

Once again the duplicity and hypocrisy of Nigeria came to the front burners last week when the issue of the place of late erudite professor of political science Humphrey Nwosu came up.

For those who don’t know yet Humphrey Nwosu was born on October,2,1941 and died on October,20,2024 at the ripe age of 83 years.

Being as astute political scientist his achievements traversed various institutions both home and abroad where his academic prowess received global recognition and applaud.

One of the momentous stages of his life was his appointment as chairman of the then National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989-1993 by the then military president Ibrahim Babangida.

On record Nwosu brought in a lot of innovations to Nigeria’s electoral system and up till today those innovations have not been challenged or surpassed.

It is to his credit that for the first time Nigeria started practicing unadulterated grassroot democracy with his introduction of globally acclaimed Option A4 and open ballot system.

Option A4 mandates any aspirant gunning for any elective position to first start with his ward, local government, constituency, Senate and then federal level. You must win election and be acceptable at all these four critical levels before you can emerge as a candidate, contest and win elections.

Open ballot system on its own connotes electorates/voters on election day lining up in front of the symbol or candidate of their choice, cast their votes in the public glare of everybody. Collation of results are done immediately after the last voter and results counted and proclaimed publicly without any magomago or wuruwuru, the very jargons Humphrey Nwosu himself brought to the political lexicon of Nigeria!!

The climax of his feat was the conduct of the famous June 12,1993 presidential election that saw the clear winning of MKO Abiola against Tofa.

That very election has been adjudged as the freest, fairest, credible election in the history of elections in Nigeria.

Now a man that achieved that kind of feat what is his offence to this country called Nigeria. In one of his confessional statements he admitted that gun was pointed on his head to stop the election and announcenent of the results but he stuck to his gun without surrendering.

In the heat of announcing the last batch of the results a terse telephone call was made from above for him to stop further announcements.

This very brilliant and courageous man was laid to rest in his Ajali, Anambra state home town on Friday March,28,2025.

Prior to his burial and in fact in the week of his burial some Senators spearheaded by Enyinnaya Abaribe articulated a motion for Humphrey Nwosu to honoured and immortalized going by his sacrifice to the country.

But what did we see a bunch of senators ganging up against the motion for no logical and credible reasons.

Bamidele Opeyemi who all these while has been parading himself as human rights lawyer and populist and who has variously hailed the conduct and outcome of June 12,1993 election as the best all of a sudden developed cold feet and instead of supporting the motion kicked against it. No wonder some have described him as emergency activist and Comrade who cannot stand up for the truth at all times.

Another great shock was the position of Adams Oshiomole who was a notable participant in the June 12,1993 imbroglio coming out on the floor of the Senate and national television to state that Humphrey Nwosu actions in the June 12 election was suspect and at best cowardly. In what sense if one may ask. These are the set of people that cannot stand up for truth but will always twist it because of the personality involved or the person’s place of origin.

You cannot for more than thirty years be shouting on June 12 we stand and that the election was the most credible, freest, fairest and best conducted election in Nigeria yet you deny the feat of the man that risked his life to conduct such an election. What an absurdity!

Curiously president Tinubu has come out to do what some term as overruling the Senate by acknowledging the feat of Humphrey Nwosu and also saying that he will be honoured and immortalized. Whether this will see the light of the day or be sholved aside as a political statement to garner popularity and votes during elections only time will tell.

Before the presidential intervention current INEC chairmen Mahmood Yakubu has come out to make strong case for Humphrey Nwosu to be properly placed in the history of the conduct of elections in Nigeria. He vehemently maintained that Nwosu should be recognized, Honoured and immortalized for the great works and sacrifice he made as head of the country’s electoral body.

Whatever be the situation Humphrey Nwosu as a player and actor has done his own part and has gone to join his ancestors in the great beyond. If Nigeria like let them remember and honour him, if they don’t like that is their business. But one thing is certain that the world has acknowledged the great feat of this colossus political science giant and his place in world history can never be altered by any mortal.

This sane Senate and characters like Bamidele Opeyemi, Adams Oshiomole and a host of other Humphrey Nwosu detractors will not find it difficult to give such recognition to INEC chairmen in the fold of Attahiru Jega and Mahmood Yakubu who the world has seen the kind of elections they conducted.

I will not be surprised if the same INEC national headquarters is named after Mahmood Yakubu who on record has posted the highest number of inconclusive elections, refusal to use multi billion naira BVAS and IREV to upload results , stop announcements of election results and also having the highest legally contested election outcomes in courts among other electoral criminalities.

We can only say goodnight to Professor Humphrey Nwosu and wish his soul to rest in peace while we laugh at Nigeria and their hypocrisy, sectionalism, duplicity and outright robbery of honour to whom it is due

My greatest consolation and assurance is that one of these days all this nonsense will stop as enough will be enough by that time.

**Austine Uche-Ejeke a public affairs analyst and publisher of Agenda Papers wrote vide eaustineuche@yahoo.com