A motion to honour the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, the former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) who organized the landmark June 12, 1993 presidential election, adjudged as the freest and fairest in the anals of Nigeria, on Wednesday sparked a heated debate in the Senate.
Persecondnews reports that. Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South, alongside several co-sponsors from the minority caucus, predominantly from the South-East zone, presented a motion of urgent public importance during Wednesday’s plenary session, aiming to immortalise the late academic for his role in the country’s democratic evolution.
Abaribe said: “Prof. Nwosu’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy remain undeniable. Despite the challenges he faced, he conducted an election that remains a reference point in our electoral history.
“It is only right that this Senate recognizes his role and honours his memory.”
Just as Abaribe began to present his motion, having received permission from Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, he was cut off by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who raised a point of order.
Bamidele contended that the motion should not proceed because senators have not received their copies, a situation he considered a procedural irregularity.
Abaribe countered, claiming that copies were indeed available, sparking tension in the chamber as he pressed on to present the motion despite the objection.
The Deputy Senate President interjected, describing the motion as “controversial” due to the sharply divided opinions among Nigerians regarding Nwosu’s role in the June 12 election.
Jibrin said: “It is controversial. Some people see him as one of those who truncated June 12, others say he was a hero of democracy.”
After Abaribe finally presented the motion, it went to a voice vote, and Jibrin sided with the “Nays,” essentially shooting down the motion.
Abaribe’s further attempts to revisit the motion, including his effort to provide a personal explanation, were met with opposition.
Visibly emotional, he asked in frustration, “What is wrong with this motion? What is wrong with honouring the memory of Professor Nwosu?”
He rose to present additional arguments under Order 1b, emphasizing that the Senate holds the authority to regulate its own proceedings at any given time.
Abaribe said: “We are not in a dictatorship. We can regulate our proceedings any time.”
South-East senators, including Patrick Ndubaeze and Victor Umeh, openly voiced their discontent with the rejection of the motion, expressing their strong dissatisfaction with the outcome.
“What does this mean? We can not keep operating like this! What is happening?” Sen. Umeh exclaimed, slamming his hand on his desk in exasperation.
Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, in a show of support for Abaribe, alleged that Jibrin was attempting to muzzle senators, essentially silencing their voices.
He argued: “We can interject with personal explanations at any time; we have to allow people to speak; otherwise, we are saying that whenever things go wrong, we cannot intervene to correct ourselves.”
Sen. Abdullahi suffered the same fate as Abaribe, as his point was also overruled.
As tensions escalated, Senate President Godswill Akpabio intervened to calm the heated debate, urging lawmakers to approach the issue with a sense of national unity.
He said: “We must handle this matter with sensitivity and respect for history.
While opinions may differ, we should focus on strengthening our democratic institutions rather than revisiting past divisions.”
After more discussions, the Senate postponed making a final decision on the motion, referring it to the relevant committee for further examination and review.
Persecondnews recalls that Humphrey Nwosu was appointed Chairman of the National Electoral Commission by the military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in 1989, serving in this role until 1993.
During his tenure, he oversaw the June 12, 1993, presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s most credible and democratic election to date.
Nwosu’s commission introduced the worid-acclaimed rigging-free “Option A4” Voting System and the Modified Open Ballot System.
Despite facing opposition, he released many of the election results before being ordered to stop by the military regime.
Nwosu passed away on October 20, 2024, at the age of 83.
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