June 12 1993 Presidential poll Umpire, Humphrey Nwosu dies at 84
Renowned Political Scientist and most controversial electoral umpire in Nigeria’s political history, Professor Humphrey Nwosu is dead.
He died on Thursday in a hospital in the United States of America at the ripe of age of 84 years.
Professor Nwosu was the Chairman of the national election management body, National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993 when his appointment was truncated upon the non- official release of results of the June 12,1993 presidential election presumed to have been won by the late Chief. Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, popularly known as MKO.
Prof. Nwosu’s NEC conducted what was adjudged the best, freest and most credible election in Nigeria but he was denied the opportunity of the glory by the military administration of then military president , General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida which annulled the election. He refused to succumb to severe pressures to manipulate the result of the election.
The late Chief Moshood Abiola was presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party and he defeated Bashir Tofa, the candidate of the National Republican Convention in two horse race.
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The annulment threw the entire country into political crisis that elongated military rule till the return to democracy in 1999.
Born on October 2, 1941 in Anambra, the professor of Political Science brought a few innovation into the nation’s electoral process which was globally acknowledged.
One of such was the introduction of Option A4 voting system and the Open ballot system.
The Option A4 was a direct queuing behind candidates of choice during either party primaries or general election.
Acknowledging his role in the nation’s polity, the House of Representatives in July 2024 demanded that called on President Bola Tinubu should immortalise Prof. Nwosu for conducting the election adjudged as the freest and most credible in post-independence Nigeria. It remains to be seen if the President will heed this call by the House of Representatives.
