Just one day after rejecting a similar proposal, the Senate rejected a proposal to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja in honor of late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, a former head of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC).
Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe re-sponsored the motion on Thursday, just as lawmakers on Wednesday rejected it.
Nwosu presided over the infamously annulled presidential election on June 12, 1993, which was hailed as the freest and fairest in Nigeria.
In recognition of his contribution to Nigeria’s democratic development, Abaribe demanded that Nwosu receive posthumous national honors on Thursday during the plenary session.
The proposal again sparked heated debates among lawmakers, exposing deep rifts regarding Nwosu’s impact on history.
Sen. Osita Ngwu acknowledged that the military regime under which he ran his business limited his ability to release the election results.
He claimed that “there was no way he would have made the announcement with a gun in his head.” That does not alter the fact that some of us regard him as a hero.
Sen. Austin Akobundu vehemently opposed Nwosu’s dismissal of contributions, calling it unfair and arguing that his contributions were merited recognition in Nigeria’s Hall of Fame.
Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim and a number of other senators vehemently opposed the idea, questioning the logic of honoring a person who didn’t release the election results, with Ibrahim emphatically saying that “nothing should be named after him.”
Sen. Cyril Fasuyi argued in his address that history only acknowledges accomplishments and not attempts, reiterating that “history does not reward efforts, but only results.”
I oppose naming INEC’s headquarters after him, as long as he did not announce the outcome, whether or not under duress.
Sen. Afolabi Salisu reacted with caution, saying Nwosu had no courage to speak out, while Sen. Sunday Karimi criticized him for his silence, suggesting that honoring him would harm MKO Abiola’s legacy.
He remarked, “Any attempt to do anything after one minute silence is considered to be a legacy of Abiola.”
The majority of senators ultimately rejected the motion via voice votes after much discussion.
In the end, the senators decided to observe a one-minute silence and express condolences to Nwosu’s family.
According to Persecondnews, Babangida appointed Humphrey Nwosu to the National Electoral Commission in 1989, and he continued to do so until 1993.
He introduced the popularly acclaimed “Option A4” Voting System and Modified Open Ballot System while leading the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Before being ordered to stop by the military regime, he released many of the election results despite facing opposition.
Source: Per Second News
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