Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has delivered a tribute to late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, the seventh Chairman of Nigeria's national electoral body.
Nwosu passed away in October 2024.
Speaking at INEC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, Yakubu also called for a posthumous recognition for Nwosu.
Addressing the gathering, which included Nwosu's family members, friends and colleagues, Yakubu emphasized the significant contributions of the late professor to Nigeria's democratic process.
The INEC chairman pointed out that Nwosu's tenure from 1989 to 1993 is a period marked by innovative electoral reforms, notably the introduction of the Option A4 voting system and the Open Ballot System.
He hailed the former INEC boss for conducting the 1993 presidential election, now widely regarded as one of the freest and fairest poll in the country's history.
Yakubu remarked, “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.”
He further noted that, over time, the 1993 election conducted under Nwosu's leadership has come to be celebrated as one of Nigeria's most credible electoral exercises.
Despite the accolades accorded to the presumed winner of the 1993 election, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, who was posthumously awarded the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, in June 2018, Nwosu's pivotal role has not been similarly honored.
Yakubu pointed out, “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.”
In light of this oversight, Yakubu advocated that the appropriate authorities should confer a posthumous national honor on Nwosu.
