Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has vehemently opposed the proposal to immortalise the late Humphrey Nwosu, former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), insisting that he does not deserve such recognition.
Speaking on Thursday during a Senate debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Oshiomhole accused Nwosu of failing to openly declare the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Nwosu, who chaired NEC between 1989 and 1993, passed away in October 2024 at the age of 83 and is set to be buried on Saturday in his home state, Anambra.
However, Oshiomhole maintained that his role in the election annulment disqualifies him from being honoured.
“Professor Nwosu and President Babangida fooled the 18 million Nigerians who voted,” Oshiomhole said.
“If he was afraid of the gun because we were under a dictatorship, some people might say, ‘Well, there were Nigerians who protested under the gun without minding the consequences.’”
The former Edo State governor further argued that even after the end of military rule and the advent of democracy, Nwosu had opportunities to publicly affirm the victory of the presumed winner, Moshood Abiola, but failed to do so.
“After the end of Babangida’s tenure, the death of Abiola, and the birth of the new democracy that produced President Obasanjo, I would have expected Nwosu to say—either on his birthday or on a special occasion—‘I couldn’t declare these numbers then, but now, on my record, Abiola won this election. I just wasn’t able to announce it,’” Oshiomhole stated.
“He died without confession; he cannot be rewarded.”
Oshiomhole also dismissed aspects of Abaribe’s motion as “manipulative,” stressing that history should not be distorted in the Senate.
He blamed Nwosu for the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, arguing that his failure to declare the winner ultimately derailed Nigeria’s democratic process.
“If Professor Nwosu had the courage to announce the winner and dared the consequences, it would have been different. When it mattered most, his courage failed him,” Oshiomhole added.
The June 12, 1993, election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, was annulled by the then-military government led by Ibrahim Babangida.
The presumed winner, Abiola, was later arrested and died in detention in 1998.
Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
