From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Aidoghie Paulinus, Okwe Obi, Abuja and Emmanuel Uzor, Awka
Third Republic Senate president, Ameh Ebute, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, one of the children of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, Jamiu, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and others have mourned the passing of the chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), Professor Humphrey Nwosu.
The June 12 election was annulled by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, a decision that has continued to haunt Nigeria’s political landscape.
Nwosu died in a hospital in Virginia, United States of America.
Ebute, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun, commended Nwosu for the courage he displayed during the crisis that engulfed the 1993 presidential election.
He said Nwosu was so courageous that even when he was under a gunpoint to declare the election inconclusive by the military, he refused to do it until the government unconstitutionally annulled it.
He said Nwosu died too early at the age of 83.
“He wasn’t too old. So, it was a premature death. I don’t know what happened. His death is very, very unfortunate. He is one of the most competent and effective Nigerians that we have ever had who can never give up his responsibility for anything.
“He protected his integrity until his death. Nigeria has lost a very courageous person. His types are very few in Nigeria. His types are not many,” the former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the National Open University Council said.
Also speaking, Abiola, a Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties, Office of the Vice-President, said Nwosu’s death is a tragedy.
“His death is a tragedy, the man was a great man and we will pray for him.
“He is somebody that was brave; he is a Nigerian icon, a Nigerian symbol and we pray that God gives the family the strength to bear the loss,” Abiola said.
•He died unsung – Ohananeze Ndigbo
Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, hailed the late Professor of Political Science as an unsung hero, saying he died uncelebrated despite his contributions to the nation’s democracy.
Ohanaeze protested that while the acclaimed winner of the June 12 general election, the late MKO Abiola, is being remembered and immortalised, Nwosu was never honoured.
According to the acting National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene, “Until death, no one and indeed, the Federal Government, failed to recognise this man despite the fact that he put his life on the line to save the country’s democracy.
“The late Humphrey Nwosu is my brother and we belong to the same Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State. As a matter of fact, he is my kinsman but it is sad that successive administrations in the country never said anything about him, not even naming a federal institution after him.
“There are some people in his shoes as it were who would have compromised but he stood his grounds and ensured that the electoral wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian masses and voters were respected.”
Ogene added that the abandonment of the late Nwosu until his death was an indication of the fact that the Nigerian civil war has not ended. He added that had it been Nwosu was from another tribe, he would have been celebrated.
He posited that a National Institute for Political Studies should be established and named after him in remembrance of his great contributions to shaping democracy and politics in Nigeria.
“The late Nwosu should have a National Institute for Political Studies named after him, and also a yearly lecture series should be organised in his name,” he said.
…His death should inspire renewed commitment to electoral integrity – CISLAC
In its reaction, CISLAC described him as a pivotal figure in Nigeria’s electoral history.
“His contributions to electoral consolidation were monumental,” CISLAC’s Executive Director, Musa Awwal Rafsanjani, stated.
Nwosu, who chaired the National Electoral Commission during the historic June 12, 1993 elections, was instrumental in implementing reforms that aimed to enhance the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
“Prof. Nwosu conducted what is widely regarded as the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history. His efforts were tragically undermined by military intervention, leaving a lasting impact on our democracy,” Rafsanjani stated.
He urged that Nwosu’s legacy should inspire a renewed commitment to electoral integrity.
“We hope his experiences are documented as lessons for future generations. His death should not be another forgotten loss; instead, it must serve as a catalyst for change.
“CISLAC has received the sad news of Prof Humphrey Nwosu’s death. He has made huge contributions to electoral consolidation in Nigeria as someone who conducted the aborted June 12, 1993 general elections, which had the potential to improve our electoral process and democracy by extension.
“It was unfortunately truncated by the military and political collaborators. Since then, Nigeria has not overcome the crisis of electoral acceptance and electoral transparency that would usher us into a better electoral democratic inclusive process.
“So, his passage has left a huge vacuum that the nation has to grapple with. We pray that his passage will create a sense of opportunity for Nigeria to get the huge contributions that he made both as an academic and a public servant, who came to help in the electoral process in Nigeria.
“We also hope that all his experiences have been documented so that they will serve as lessons for Nigerians to learn from his contributions both the challenges and the successes that he achieved while presiding as an electoral umpire in Nigeria.
“We hope that his death will not be seen as one of those deaths but that governments at both state and national levels will be able to immortalise him and be able to use his death as a reminder for us to be more committed and more serious in entrenching electoral integrity in Nigeria,” he said.
•Immortalise him, CHRICED tells Tinubu
Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has told President Bola Tinubu to immortalise him by naming the Nigeria Electoral Institute after him.
CHRICED Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said: “Of course, he (Nwosu) was a man who stood on his feet when the election was annulled.
“He did what was right even though there was a threat to his life. He had to let the world know. I think Nigeria owes him a tribute.
“People like that are not recognised by the state. But people like us who are democrats will continue to remember him.
“What can be done for him is for the electoral process to be transparent. The methodology used in the 1993 general elections should be adopted. Also, the Federal Government should name the electoral institute after him.”
Also, the Coalition for Good Governance, expressed sadness over the death of Professor Nwosu.
In a statement, Convener of the group, Collins Uche, said: “It is an unfortunate situation. The country has lost an industrious man. The June 12, 1993 election that was annulled, he played a key role in setting the record straight.
“We pray for God to grant him eternal rest and to also comfort his family and friends.”