By Tony Adibe
Professor Humphrey Nwosu, Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993, who conducted the June 12, 1993, presidential election generally believed to have been won by late Chief MKO Abiola, has died.
The NEC is now known as the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC). Born on October 2, 1941, Nwosu died in a hospital in Virginia, USA. He was appointed by the then military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, and oversaw the June 12, 1993, election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest, fairest, most transparent and credible.
In that presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), triumphed over Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Tofa, from Kano, picked Dr Sylvester Ugoh, from Imo State as his running mate. Nwosu’s commission introduced the innovative Option A4 voting system and the Open Ballot system.
Despite releasing many election results from different states, Nwosu was ordered by the military government of Babangida to halt further declaration of the results. The poll was shockingly annulled, truncating the democratic process. In July 2024, the House of Representatives urged President Bola Tinubu to honor Nwosu for his role in conducting what was considered the most credible election in Nigeria’s post-independence history.
The Man Prof Humphrey Nwosu. When some Nigerians called on the federal government to award Prof Nwosu a national honour in recognition of his handling of the 1993 general elections even at his own personal risk, Prof Nwosu told this reporter during an interview at his Independence Layout Enugu residence some years ago, thus:
“My dear Tony Adibe. What honour is bigger or better than that nobody searches my belongings whenever I am returning from abroad? The security men at the airports would tell their younger colleagues not to bother; that we know him as an honest Nigerian; he is Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who conducted the 1993 general elections. The airport security would search every other person but would ask me to go. What honour is greater than that? If God Almighty has made Nigerians to honour me in that manner, what else do I want?”
Humphrey Nwosu is a Professor of Political science. He was born on the second of October 1941. Nwosu was born on 2 October 1941. He is Aro man from Ajalli, in Orumba North Local Government of Anambra State, Nigeria.
He is a consummate public administrator, academic, technocrat, and political scientist. Prof Nwosu studied political science at the University of California at Berkeley where he earned Master’s and Doctoral degrees in political science ((Magna Cum Laude) in 1973 and 1976 respectively. He subsequently returned to his native country to teach at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he rose to become a full-time tenured professor.
He served in the cabinet of Group Captain Samson Emeka Omeruah, military governor of the old Anambra State, where he helped traditional rulers to gain staffs of office and receive salaries, and settled intra and inter-community land disputes. He also served as chairman of a Federal Technical Committee on the application of Civil Service Reforms in the local government service.
He was appointed FEDECO chairman in 1989 after his predecessor (and former mentor) Prof Eme Awa resigned due to a disagreement with Ibrahim Babangida. After the resignation of Prof. Eme Awa, Prof Nwosu was appointed chairman of the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria. That was what the commission was known as in 1989. He held that office till 1993 and was succeeded by Prof Okon Uya.
Prior to the June 12, 1993, Presidential election, the only one supervised by Prof. Nwosu, the commission introduced the much-celebrated option A4 and the open ballot voting system. The system was said to have greatly influenced the transparency and credibility of that election.
Many still argue that the 1993 election conducted by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu still stands out as the most transparent election in Nigeria’s electoral history despite the fact that the two presidential candidates were moslems and the perceived winner, late Chief M.K.O Abiola, being a moslem, had a moslem running mate, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe.
