A former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (now the Independent National Electoral Commission), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, has passed away at the age of 84.
Nwosu, who conducted the historic June 12, 1993 election, annulled by former President Ibrahim Babangida, served as NEC Chairman from 1989 to 1993. He was from the Ajali community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Though no official statement has been released by the family, a source close to them confirmed that Nwosu, born on October 2, 1941, died in a hospital in Virginia, United States, in the early hours of Thursday.
The source stated, “Yes, Prof. passed away this morning in a hospital in Virginia, USA, after a brief illness. The family will issue a statement soon.”
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993 election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest. In that election, Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party defeated Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. However, the annulment of the election threw the country into political chaos and extended military rule until Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
In response to the news of his death, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, expressed sadness, lamenting that Nwosu passed away without being properly celebrated for his contributions to Nigeria’s electoral system.
Chief Damian Ogene, the acting National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, noted that while the acclaimed winner of the June 12 election, the late MKO Abiola, had been remembered and immortalized, Nwosu had not received similar recognition.
“Until his death, no one, including the Federal Government, recognised this man, despite the fact that he put his life on the line to safeguard the country’s democracy,” Ogene said.
He added, “The late Humphrey Nwosu was my brother; we are from the same Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, and he is my kinsman. It is unfortunate that successive administrations never acknowledged him, not even by naming a federal institution after him.”
Ogene stressed that, unlike others in similar positions who may have compromised, Nwosu stood firm to ensure that the electoral aspirations of Nigerians were realized. He called for the establishment of a National Institute for Political Studies in Nwosu’s honor and suggested an annual lecture series in his name.
Nwosu introduced significant reforms to Nigeria’s electoral process during his tenure, including the Option A4 voting system and the Open Ballot system, which received global recognition.
In June 2024, the House of Representatives called on President Bola Tinubu’s government to immortalize Nwosu for his role in conducting the June 12 election, considered the most credible in Nigeria’s post-independence history.
