Completing the Circle of Justice: Why Democracy Day Remains Incomplete Without Prof. Humphrey Nwosu
By Rt Hon sir Jones Onyereri PhD KSP FCIPAN
As Nigeria commemorates another Democracy Day on June 12, it is a time for sober reflection on our democratic journey—a path paved with the sacrifices of heroes and the collective will of a people yearning for freedom. We rightly celebrate the significance of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, an event that has become the benchmark for free and fair elections in our nation’s history. In a landmark decision in June 2018, the federal government officially designated June 12 as our Democracy Day and posthumously awarded the presumed winner of that historic election, Chief MKO Abiola, the nation’s highest honor, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
This was a long-overdue recognition of a pivotal moment and its central martyr. Yet, as we honor the symbols of that struggle, we commit a grave historical oversight by leaving one of its principal architects in the shadows: the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who passed away on October 20, 2024, in Virginia, USA.
Professor Nwosu, as the Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993, was the man tasked with organizing the election meant to conclude General Ibrahim Babangida’s serpentine transition to civilian rule. A distinguished professor of political science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nwosu brought intellectual rigor and profound innovation to his national assignment. His most significant contribution was the introduction of the Modified Open Ballot System, popularly known as Option A4. This system, where voters queued openly behind posters of their chosen candidate to be counted publicly, was a masterstroke of transparency that practically eliminated electoral fraud and made the results verifiable in real-time by all observers. Beyond this, Nwosu also laid the foundational structure for the commission’s independence by establishing its three-tiered presence at the national, state, and local government levels.
The result was the most credible, peaceful, and transparent election Nigeria had ever witnessed. For a moment, Nigerians transcended the bitter divisions of ethnicity and religion to vote with a united voice. This was symbolized by the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Chief MKO Abiola and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, which secured a resounding, albeit unofficial, victory with 58% of the vote. This monumental achievement was made possible by the framework of integrity that Professor Nwosu meticulously constructed and defended.
However, when the military junta moved to annul the election through a series of confounding court orders, Professor Nwosu displayed immense courage. In the early hours of June 11, 1993, he reportedly went uninvited to a meeting of the military council at Aso Villa to argue against an injunction seeking to halt the election, successfully convincing them to allow the polls to proceed. After the votes were cast and collation was underway, he resisted immense pressure and began announcing the results as they were certified. He continued until he was forcibly stopped by the authorities just as he was about to announce the results from Taraba State, the final state outstanding. His commission later submitted the complete results, which confirmed Abiola’s victory, to the Court of Appeal in a bid to have the final tally officially declared. To argue, as some senators did, that he lacked courage is to ignore the immense pressure he withstood and the personal risk he faced for attempting to uphold the sanctity of the ballot under a military dictatorship. His actions ensured that the results were recorded for posterity, forming the undeniable basis for the June 12 narrative we celebrate today.
Despite his pivotal role, Professor Nwosu has not received the national recognition he so clearly deserves. While Abiola and Kingibe have been honored, the man who midwifed the process remains largely unacknowledged by the state. This glaring omission has not gone unnoticed. Prominent Nigerians have publicly called for Nwosu to be honored posthumously. The current INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has lamented this oversight, noting in widely reported remarks that the commission personified by Nwosu received only a “muffled commendation as if no one conducted the election.” In the same vein, former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has powerfully argued that Nwosu’s role was indispensable. In an interview published by The Guardian newspaper on June 11, 2025, he stated, “If you remove Nwosu from the June 12 story, the entire configuration collapses.”
Disturbingly, on March 27, 2025, a motion in the Senate to immortalize Professor Nwosu by renaming the INEC headquarters after him was defeated. The motion, sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and co-sponsored by 15 others, was ruled “controversial” by the presiding Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, after a contentious voice vote. Some lawmakers argued that Nwosu did not do enough to resist the military, a claim that prompted a walkout by South-East Senators who saw the decision as a dismissal of Nwosu’s historic contributions.
Immortalizing Professor Humphrey Nwosu is more than just correcting a historical record; it is about affirming the national values we wish to promote. It is about telling current and future electoral umpires, and indeed all public servants, that integrity, courage, and innovation in the service of the nation will be remembered and celebrated. To leave his contributions uncelebrated is to feed the cynicism that has plagued our electoral process for decades.
As we celebrate June 12, we must complete the circle of honor. The Federal Government should look beyond the misguided “controversy” in the Senate and bestow a befitting posthumous national honor on Professor Humphrey Nwosu. Naming a national democratic institution after him would be a fitting tribute that serves to inspire future generations. Let us ensure that when the story of Nigeria’s democracy is told, the name of the man who conducted its finest election is not just a footnote, but a celebrated chapter. Only then will Democracy Day truly reflect the courage that built it.
