The Senate has rejected a proposal to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, Abuja, after the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, a former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), just a day after dismissing a similar proposal.
Persecondnews reports that Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe re-sponsored the motion on Thursday, just after lawmakers rejected it on Wednesday.
Nwosu presided over the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election, adjudged the freest and fairest election in Nigeria which was infamously annulled by former military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
During Thursday’s plenary session, Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
The proposal ignited intense arguments among lawmakers once more, exposing deep-seated divisions regarding Nwosu’s impact on history.
Sen. Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu’s hands were tied by the military regime he operated under, limiting his ability to announce the election results.
He contended that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That does not change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Sen. Austin Akobundu strongly disagreed with the dismissal of Nwosu’s contributions, calling it unfair and insisting that he merited recognition in Nigeria’s Hall of Fame.
Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim and several other senators flatly rejected the idea, questioning the logic of honouring someone who failed to announce the election results, with Ibrahim emphatically stating that “nothing should be named after him”.
In his contribution, Sen. Cyril Fasuyi said that history only acknowledges achievements, not attempts, emphasizing that “history does not reward efforts, only results”.
He said: “As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him.”
Sen. Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for his silence, suggesting he lacked the courage to speak out, while Sen. Afolabi Salisu cautioned that honouring Nwosu would tarnish the legacy of MKO Abiola.
He said: “Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy.”
After intense deliberation, the majority of senators ultimately rejected the motion through voice votes.
The senators ultimately decided to pay tribute to Nwosu with a one-minute silence and offer condolences to his family.
Persecondnews recalls that Humphrey Nwosu was appointed Chairman of the National Electoral Commission by Babangida in 1989, serving in this role until 1993.
During his tenure, he conducted the June 12, 1993, presidential election and 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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