“Humphrey Nwosu Went To His Grave Without Confessing His Atrocities, Deserves No Honour” – Oshiomhole

By Gideon Njoku

“Oshiomhole lied. Nwosu acknowledged Abiola’s victory in an interview”

Senator Adams Oshiomhole shocked not a few people when he declared at Senate plenary Thursday that Professor Humphrey Nwosu,  former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, NEC, cannot be honored because does not deserve it. The shock was not that the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was kicked out of that office by former President Muhammadu Buhari stood against it, but the reason why not.

Oshiomhole spoke during his contribution at Plenary as to whether Professor  Nwosu should be honored or not.

Nwosu was the NEC Chairman who was in charge of the June 12 1993 Presidential Election which was won by Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, but which was annulled by the Military Regime under General Ibrahim Babangida.

The result was never made public,  and even though it was common knowledge that Abiola won the election free, fair and square, it remained in the realm of speculation until 32 years later, on February 28, 2025, when Babangida, at the launch of his Autobiography,     “Journey In Service”, confirmed that, indeed, Abiola won the election.

Sadly, Abiola died in Military custody while fighting for his mandate.

For conducting that free election, and for the trauma he went through in the hands of the Military, not a few people felt Nwosu, who recently passed on, needed to be honored. Which was why some Senators, especially, from Nwosu’s South-east Zone,  canvassed for that at the Senate.

However, arguing vigorously why Nwosu deserved no such honour, Oshiomhole submitted that Nwosu and Babangida committed atrocities by fooling the 18m Nigerians who voted in 1993.

Granted, Oshiomhole argued, that Nwosu was afraid to confirm Abiola’s victory then, the Professor, he said,  had all the time, since these many years, to speak up before he passed on. Instead, said Oshiomhole, he went to the grave without “Confessing to his atrocities.”

Oshiomhole: “Prof Nwosu and IBB fooled 18 million Nigerians who voted. Therefore, if he was afraid of the gun because we were under a dictatorship, some people might say but there were Nigerians who were protesting under the gun without minding the consequences.

“After the end of Babangida’s tenure, the death of Abiola, the birth of the new democracy that produced President Obasanjo, since then, I would have expected Nwosu to be able to say, either on his birthday or any occasion: ‘now that we are about democracy and there is freedom of speech, even the freedom to lie, here is the result’.

“I would have expected Nwosu to say: ‘I couldn’t display these numbers now in my record; Abiola won the election, but I’m not able to announce it.’

“He died without confessing, and he cannot be rewarded.”

But a number of people have pointed out that Oshiomhole either did not read Nwosu’s interview granted to SaharaReporters, or he deliberately ignored it.

A couple of weeks after he passed on, the interview Nwosu granted to the Online Medium resurfaced again. In the interview he said categorically that Abiola won free, fair and square. He also narrated the trauma he went through while trying to convince both IBB and late Head of State, General Sani Abacha to allow him announce the result, or invite Abiola and reach a compromise with him. He was threatened by Abacha for daring to even say a word.

Following, full text of Nwosu’s interview:

“I was summoned. At the level of the National Defence and Security of Defence Council, Babangida and Abacha were prominent. They summoned me.

“I said that the Committee headed by Abacha should find a solution and I said how do we find a solution.

“I said that we should be permitted to conclude what we started. A Committee was set up.

“I am counting names. Abacha was there, Nyako Murtala, Gen. Aliyu Gusau was in it. David Mark, Minister of Communication, I was in it as Secretary. Prof Dele, National Commissioner representing Rivers State was also there.

“We met in Abacha’s Guest House in Abuja.

“He then set up another Sub-Committee which included myself, Akpamgbo, who is late now and Akilu, Secretary of the Commission and one Adviser on Law.

“When we got to that Sub Committee meeting, I said gentlemen, there is no cause to meet. The Law is clear. Election has been conducted. Results have been released. The only one remaining is that of Taraba. Please allow us conclude. We are a technical body.

“In any case, of you don’t want us to release the result, call Abiola and Tofa or negotiate with Abiola, that is the winner.

“Well, you know the military. They said since I was the Chairman I should make the report. When we got back to Abacha’s Guest House, and I reported that ‘Well Sir, the law that allows us conduct this election does not make provision for this sub committee. You should allow us announce the result and that of Taraba by declaring the winner, or you call Abiola and negotiate with him.

“The next thing Abacha said was: Who are you to tell us what to do? Are you a member of the National Defence and Security Council? You are not.’

“The Council and the Court said that you should not conduct election, that it is illegal, but you conducted.

“You will recall that during Abacha’s regime, his Minister for Information regarded our election as illegal. He (Abacha) said we will go to Aso Rock where all of us will take a decision. Call all your National Commissioners.

“You know that time It was a military regime, because many people did not know what was happening.

“I was told to call my Secretary and invite all the National Commissioners to come to Aso Rock.

“The Minister of Communications used Mobile phone to get across to them. That time Mobil was working.

“Andrew Mana, I am mentioning names, told all the Commissioners that they are needed in Aso Rock.

“We went there it was a full meeting. It was around 18th June that year (1993).

“When we got there, Babangida said NEC, National Electoral Commission what is your position on this election? I answered as the boss that ‘Sir, allow us two minutes to discuss, we the NEC members, so that it won’t be Humphrey Nwosu’s decision but that of the National Electoral Commissioners.

“Babangida said okay. So, we went to one of the rooms, and I said gentlemen, we are not politicians and we don’t dive into politics. They should allow us conclude.”

Sadly, the Senate shot down any honour for Professor Humphrey Nwosu.

The Professor will be buried on 28th March, 2025. An honor would have been a befitting farewell to him.