Celebrating June 12 without honouring Humphrey Nwosu is injustice, Igbo group tells Tinubu
The Ndi-Igbo Intellectual and Cultural Development Organisation (NIDO), a pro-Igbo advocacy group, has called on the federal government to correct what it describes as a glaring injustice by honouring the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu.
The late Nwosu conducted Nigeria’s widely acclaimed June 12, 1993, presidential election.
In a statement signed by its Director of Communications and Information, Dr. Christian Afulike, the group said it was unacceptable for the Nigerian government to continue celebrating June 12 as Democracy Day without duly recognising the patriotic role played by Prof. Nwosu, who was then the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Chairman.
NIDO argued that while the federal government rightly honoured Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, the presumed winner of the election, ignoring the man who midwifed the process amounts to double standards and undermines the legacy of Nigeria’s most credible electoral exercise.
“It reeks of double standards to celebrate the election and its presumed winner, while deliberately ignoring the brain behind the transparent and historic process,” the statement read.
The group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently immortalise Prof. Nwosu by naming a befitting national democratic edifice after him.
It also urged the Anambra state government, his home state, to take similar steps in honouring their illustrious son.
“Without Prof. Humphrey Nwosu’s courage and commitment to transparency, there would have been no credible June 12 to celebrate. To ignore him is to deny history and discourage electoral integrity,” NIDO said.
NIDO also noted that the failure of successive governments to recognise Nwosu may partly explain the downward spiral in Nigeria’s electoral credibility since 1993.
The group further criticised what it called Nigeria’s pattern of glorifying mediocrity while ignoring individuals who exemplify integrity, patriotism, and national service.
“The celebration of June 12, declared Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari, was a move to acknowledge the sacrifices of MKO Abiola and other democracy heroes. But it is incomplete and unjust without recognising Prof. Nwosu,” the statement added.
NIDO’s appeal comes as Nigeria marks another Democracy Day amid growing concerns about the state of governance and electoral trust.
“We urge President Tinubu and the federal government to right this historical wrong. Immortalising Prof. Nwosu will inspire today’s electoral umpires to uphold the same courage and credibility he displayed,” the statement concluded.
Credit
