The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has called for a posthumous national honour for the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who served as Nigeria’s electoral chief from 1989 to 1993.
Speaking at a tribute held at INEC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, Yakubu praised Nwosu’s role in shaping Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly his introduction of the Option A4 voting system and the Open Ballot System.
Yakubu described the 1993 presidential election conducted under Nwosu’s leadership as one of the freest and fairest in the country’s history, despite its annulment.
Yakubu said, “Like all his six predecessors and seven successors to date, he had the arduous task of managing elections in an extremely challenging context.
“He also introduced a number of reforms to election management. His tenure is synonymous with the Open Ballot System, popularly referred to as Option A4 in which voters queued up behind the symbol of the party of their choice to vote and to be physically counted.
“Professor Nwosu did his best, which was not always appreciated by many, including those who appointed him under an infinite transition from military rule to democracy, which ended in the annulment of the presidential election held in 1993, resulting in the dissolution of the electoral commission and the emergence of an interim government.
“However, with the passage of time, the outcome of his effort is now widely appreciated. The election is now celebrated as one of the best in Nigeria. Even those who annulled it have expressed regret.”
Yakubu expressed his belief that Nwosu’s contributions deserved a national honour and urged the relevant authorities to bestow a posthumous recognition upon him.
He stated, “A quarter of a century (25 years) later in June 2018, the presumed winner of the 1993 Presidential election, Chief M. K. O. Abiola, received the highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, posthumously. His running mate, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, was conferred with the second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger. The date of the election (June 12th, 1993) has been gazetted as a national holiday and appropriately named Democracy Day.
“Sadly, the electoral commission that conducted the election which was personified by Professor Nwosu received only a muffled commendation as if no one conducted the election. Surely, the election did not conduct itself. It was organised by a Commission made up of Commissioners and a Chairman. If it was an oversight that Professor Nwosu was not honoured in his lifetime, it is never late for the appropriate authority to do so posthumously.
“For us in INEC, we will continue to appreciate Professor Nwosu and the dedicated service he rendered to the nation.”
