JUST IN: Senators Reject Motion to Immortalize Late Prof Humphrey Nwosu

• Prof Nwosu passed away in October 2024 at the age of 83, will be buried on Friday, March 28
• The Senate agreed to honor his death by observing a minute’s silence and extending condolences to his family.
• He oversaw the widely acclaimed June 12, 1993 presidential election

For the second time in less than 24 hours, Nigerian senators rejected a motion seeking to immortalize the late Prof Humphrey Nwosu, the former National Electoral Commission (NEC) chairman who oversaw the historic June 12, 1993, elections.

Instead, the Senate agreed to honor his death by observing a minute’s silence and extending condolences to his family.

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Prof Nwosu, who passed away in October 2024 at the age of 83, will be buried on Friday, March 28, in his hometown of Ogbili Otti Palace, Ajalli, located in the Orumba-North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

As a professor of political science and former chairman of NEC, the lateNwosu played a crucial role in Nigeria’s democratic history.

He oversaw the widely acclaimed June 12, 1993 presidential election, which is widely considered the fairest and freest poll ever conducted in the country’s history.

The election saw the late MKO Abiola, contesting as the flagbearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), emerging as the presumed winner.

However, the military regime of then-Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.) controversially annulled the election results, a decision that has continued to shape Nigeria’s political landscape.

Babangida recently admitted at the launch of his book, “A Journey in Service”, that Abiola indeed won the election.

He accepted responsibility for the failure of his administration to conclude the election by announcing him as the winner.

Senator Enyinanya Abaribe (APGA, Abia-South) yesterday again brought forth a motion seeking to immortalize the late Prof Humphrey Nwosu by the Federal Government.

The motion was initially rejected by the majority of senators, prompting disappointment among lawmakers from the South-East region.

In an effort to overturn the earlier decision, Abaribe invoked Senate Rule 51, which allows for reconsideration of a previously rejected motion.

Many of the Senators argued that Nwosu’s actions during the 1993 presidential election did not warrant such an honor.

Thursday’s session, presided over by Deputy President of the Senate Sen. Barau Jibrin, saw most senators reiterating their belief that Nwosu’s “courage failed him” when he did not announce the full results of the historic election.

However, senators from the South-East region voiced their support for the motion, recognizing Nwosu’s contributions to Nigeria’s democratic journey.

Abaribe’s proposal sought to name the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja after Nwosu, bestow posthumous national honors upon him, extend condolences to his family, and observe a minute’s silence in his honor.

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Ultimately, the Senate agreed only to extend condolences to Nwosu’s family and observe a minute’s silence, rejecting the calls for his immortalization.

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