Nwakamma Agochukwu
In a celebrated act of historical rectification, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has awarded a posthumous national honor to the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the man who orchestrated Nigeria’s widely acclaimed June 12, 1993, presidential election. This recognition is seen as the culmination of persistent advocacy from the vociferous calls from former federal lawmaker Rt. Hon. Jones Onyereri PhD, KSP, FCIPAN.
Prof. Humphrey Nwosu was conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on Democracy Day, June 12, 2025, a move that marks the pinnacle of a prolonged effort to grant him his rightful place in Nigeria’s democratic history. This presidential honor is a significant victory for historical verity, a cause Rt. Hon. Jones Onyereri has passionately and rigorously championed.
This executive recognition sharply contrasts with the Nigerian Senate’s decision in March 2025 to reject a motion aimed at immortalizing the late professor. The motion, sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and co-sponsored by 15 other senators, proposed naming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after Prof. Nwosu and bestowing a posthumous honor upon him. Its controversial defeat in the Senate ignited condemnation, leading to a walkout by South-East Senators in protest.
Following this legislative disappointment, Rt. Hon. Jones Onyereri amplified his advocacy. In a compelling article published by Oblong Media on March 29, 2025, titled, “In Defense of History: The Imperative to Immortalize Professor Humphrey Nwosu,” he detailed the profound injustice of the Senate’s decision. He argued that failing to recognize Prof. Nwosu was a disservice to the nation’s collective memory.
In another article, titled “The Missing Pillar of June 12: Why Prof. Humphrey Nwosu’s Legacy is Essential to Our Democratic Identity,” Onyereri exposed what he described as a structural flaw in Nigeria’s democratic narrative. He wrote, “Each year, as Nigeria commemorates Democracy Day, we gather to admire the edifice of our democratic journey… Yet, a careful inspection of this structure reveals a profound and dangerous flaw—a foundational pillar is conspicuously missing… This missing pillar is the national recognition of Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the man whose work provided the very structural integrity of the election we celebrate.”
Rt. Jones Onyereri lauded Professor Nwosu as the “master architect” of the 1993 election, emphasizing that his innovations, such as the Option A4 and the Open Ballot System, were the “load-bearing columns that gave the election its strength, transparency, and credibility.” He contended that celebrating the symbol of June 12 without acknowledging its enabler constituted a “fundamental flaw that compromises the stability and authenticity of our entire democratic identity.”
In a further piece, “Completing the Circle of Justice: Why Democracy Day Remains Incomplete Without Prof. Humphrey Nwosu,” Dr. Onyereri meticulously recounted Prof Nwosu’s courage in resisting military pressure to annul the election. He refuted the narrative that Nwosu was cowardly, reminding the public that the professor had proceeded to announce the verified results until he was forcibly stopped.
His position was supported by other influential figures. As cited in his article, former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, remarked in an interview, “If you remove Nwosu from the June 12 story, the entire configuration collapses.”
The culmination of these advocacy efforts in President Tinubu’s decision to honor Professor Nwosu is hailed as a testament to the effectiveness of principled and relentless advocacy. For the people of Orlu Senatorial Zone, this is definitive proof of Dr. Onyereri’s ability to champion their interests on a national level.
Nwakamma Agochukwu
