Piqued by the refusal of the Senate to immortalise former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), Professor Humphrey Nwosu for his historic role in the ill-fated June 12, 1993 Presidential election, media professionals have berated the upper legislative body for their unpatriotic and provocative attitude.
The media practitioners under the aegis of National Association of Political Correspondents (NAPOC) of 1990s , said as witnesses to history ; making of the historical June 12, 1993 presidential election, it is provocative and a disservice not to honour the Chief umpire who midwifed that project.
They expressed shock over the rejection by the Senate of a motion calling for the immortalization of Nwosu and therefore urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remedy the situation by renaming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja after Nwosu.
The NAPOC position was made known by the coordinating committee chairman Deba Uwadiae and a Trustee Chief Gbenga Onayiga in Abuja.
The Senior Journalists lamented that the lawmakers’ action was disappointing and could discourage patriotic Nigerians from giving their bests to the country.
They stressed: “The late Chairman of the defunct NEC, Nwosu deserves national honours, including renaming the Headquarters INEC after him for his commitment and dedication to an inclusive democratic process in Nigeria, especially in the 1990s”.
According to them, “having covered Nwosu and his Commission from very close quarters and witnessing his determination to ensure a successful and transparent transition to democracy and civil rule in Nigeria in the 1990s, it is imperative that the sacrifices made by him be highly acknowledged and rewarded.
“Nwosu’s sterling contributions are contained in his book “Laying the Foundation for Nigeria’s Democracy: My account of June 12, 1993”, highlighting major electoral reforms aimed at restoring the confidence of generality of Nigerians in the electoral process.
“These milestones are also well documented in NAPOC members’ book, “Nigeria’s 3rd Republic and the June 12 Debacle: Reporters’ Account”.
“Through his Public Affairs Department, Nwosu launched “a vibrant voter education initiative which began with a compilation of all the laws, regulations and other relevant materials in one publication to be distributed across Nigeria. The first recipient of the publication was the media represented by its select political correspondents covering elections in the country.”
“To give flesh to the publication, titled “Laws & Materials on Nigeria’s Electoral Process (1987-1990) the Commission organized a workshop for the media correspondents from April 4th to 6th 1990 in Abeokuta, Ogun state at the instance of a NEC’s Director of Public Affairs, Professor Tonnie Iredia.”
“One of the objectives of the workshop was to create an avenue for subjecting items in the publication to thorough analysis by well-informed resource persons. The workshop was therefore largely influenced by the desire of the electoral body to throw ample light on the processes and procedures of events lined up in the transition programme. Part of the memorable features of the conference was the opportunity the gathering offered to the participants to formalize their desire for the formation of the National Association of Political Correspondents (NAPOC).”
“Nwosu clearly distinguished himself as the hero of the June 12 election and must be acknowledged as such”.
Ends.
