Victor EzejaAs Nigeria celebrates Democracy Day, an Igbo group, Ndi Igbo Intellectual & Cultural Development Organisation (NIDO) has called for immortalisation of former Chairman of National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, for his role in the 1993 presidential election that has been widely acclaimed to be the most free, fair and credible election in the country’s history.
NIDO demanded that the Nigerian government should give due recognition to the late political scientist for his role in Nigeria’s political history.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSince Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, its Democracy Day had been celebrated on 29th May, which is the day set aside to swear in elected Presidents, Governors and national/state assembly members in the country every four years. However, President Muhammadu Buhari on 6 June 2018, fixed the celebration on June 12 every year to commemorate the most credible presidential election on that day in 1993 and also in honour of the winner, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
The 1993 election was annulled by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida and Abiola, who fought for the actualisation of his mandate, later died in detention.
NIDO asserted that it amounts to what it called “deliberate amnesia” to recognise the June 12, 1993, election and its outcome but fail to recognise the Nwosu, who led the process.
“With President Muhammadu Buhari officially recognising the June 12, 1993 elections and its outcome, the Nigerian state seems to have relapsed into a state of deliberate amnesia as there is no mention of the umpire who courageously and meticulously oversaw the elections,” NIDO said in a statement signed by its Director of Communications and Information, Comrade Christian Afulike.
Continuing, it said: “Late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu’s indelible contributions to Nigeria’s electoral process seems to have been deliberately forgotten by a nation that delights more in celebrating mediocrity.
“Without doubt, it reeks of double standards to recognise the election as the most credible in the history of elections in Nigeria; recognise the outcome of the election; and at the same time pretend to forget the brain behind the entire process. This is unacceptable and is surely at the heart of the abysmally poor performance of Nigeria’s electoral body in all other elections conducted in the country since then.”
READ ALSO: The Unsung Hero Of June 12: Professor Humphrey Nwosu vs MKO Abiola
The group condemned what it described as a deliberate act of denying Prof. Humphrey Nwosu the honour that he deserves by successive governments at both the Federal and State levels, adding that such is the “recipe for the poor performance of subsequent electoral umpires in the country leading to the current sorry state of governance in the country.”
The group called for the naming of a befitting national edifice that represents any of the country’s democratic institutions after Prof. Nwosu.
“This gesture will serve to encourage serving and future electoral umpires in the country to serve with diligence and integrity, thereby strengthening the nation’s democracy beyond the ritual of electoral reforms,” the statement added.
NIDO also urged the Anambra State government and other state governments in the South-east geopolitical zone to ensure the immortalization of the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, adding that he was “a worthy Nigerian deserving of such honour.”
Prime Business Africa reports that Nwosu, who was born on 2 October 1941, in Ajalli, Orumba North LGA, Anambra State, died on 20 October 2024 at the age of 83. He was buried in March this year.
Prior to his burial, there had been calls for the Nigerian government to honour him, but federal lawmakers opposed it.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
