The founder and pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chekwas Okorie has called on President Bola Tinubu to name the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the late Humphrey Nwosu, the former chairman of the then National Electoral Commission, NEC, which was later renamed INEC.
In a press rrelease issued on Sunday, Okorie said, “It is sad that the most visible unsung hero of the much celebrated June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria is Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, the National Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) which later became INEC.”
The APGA founder recalled how Nigerians applauded Pres. Buhari’s validation of the 1993 election through certain actions.
“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.”
Okorie regretted that the one hero missing on the honors list was the man who managed the election celebrated as the “fairest and freest.”
“Regrettably, no mention was made of Prof. Humphrey Nwosu in the honors list for the historic June 12 election. Prof. 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, 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.”
According to Okorie, even the huge acclaim which the election of June 12th garnered was not enough to halt its annulment.
“This did not prevent Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the military President of Nigeria, from proceeding to annul the election.
After more than three decades, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida publicly presented his memoir last week in which he vindicated Prof. 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 remains 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?”
Positing that Pres. Tinubu’s predecessor had set the ball rolling on celebrating the feat achieved with the June 12th election, Okorie urged the President to complete the celebrations by honoring the only one left out of the honors list.
“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 Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give Prof. Nwosu a befitting National Honor.”
Chekwas Okorie urged Tinubu to participate in the burial ceremonies of the erudite scholar who joined his ancestors recently.
“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 Presidents 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.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should sieze the moment.”
