Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who served as Chairman of the then National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993, has passed away aged 83 years.
Born on October 2, 1941, Nwosu died in a hospital in Virginia, USA according to multiple reports.
He was appointed by the then military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, and oversaw the June 12, 1993 election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest.
In that presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) triumphed over Bashir Tofa of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC).
Nwosu’s commission introduced the innovative Option A4 voting system and the Open Ballot system.
Despite releasing many election results, Nwosu was ordered to halt further announcements of the June 12 election by the Babangida regime.
He won the hearts of many for his principled stand on the election. However, In 2008 he published a book in which he claimed that Babangida was not to blame for annulling the election. The book was severely criticized for failing to accurately account for what happened.
In July 2024, the House of Representatives urged President Bola Tinubu to honour Nwosu for his role in conducting what is considered the most credible election in Nigeria’s post-independence history.
Nwosu served in the cabinet of Samson Omeruah, governor of the old Anambra State, where he helped traditional rulers to gain staffs of office, receive salaries and settled intra and inter community land disputes. He also served as chairman of a Federal Technical Committee on the application of Civil Service Reforms in the local government service. He was appointed NEC chairman in 1989 after his predecessor (and former mentor) Eme Awa resigned due to a disagreement with Ibrahim Babangida.
