Former Jigawa State Governor and elder statesman, Sule Lamido, has called for the formal recognition and honoring of Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the man who supervised what is widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election on June 12, 1993.
Speaking in an interview with the Guardian ahead of the June 12th Democracy Day Celebration, Lamido expressed deep concern that while the late Chief MKO Abiola has rightly been honoured with a GCFR and a national holiday commemorating June 12, the man who midwifed that electoral process, Prof. Nwosu, remains largely unacknowledged.
For the second time in two days, specifically on March, 27th, 2025, the Senate at plenary had rejected a motion seeking to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), who oversaw the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Earlier on Wednesday, in a fierce debate that erupted on the floor of the Senate some lawmakers had blocked a motion seeking to immortalize the late Humphrey Nwosu, the electoral umpire that superintended over the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Not deterred by the rejection Abaribe on Thursday came with a motion on recession, coming under Order 52(C) he represented the Motion.
The motion, re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe on Thursday, sought posthumous national honours for Nwosu, recognizing his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution. However, the proposal met stiff resistance, highlighting deep divisions over Nwosu’s legacy and whether his role in the June 12 election merited such an honour.
However, Lamido known for his fair-mindedness continued saying,
“Whatever anyone may say about him, June 12 would not have existed without Humphrey Nwosu,”
“If you remove him from the configuration, the whole structure collapses. Who conducted the election? Who ensured it was free and fair? It was Nwosu. So why hasn’t he been honoured?”
Lamido agreed with both the former and current INEC chairmen Professor Attahiru Jega and Professor Mahmoud Yakubu on their call to name the electoral commission after Nwosu.
Exactly what Abaribe wanted to achieve with his motion before it was shut down.
However,
“The eastern lawmakers later came together and appealed to President Tinubu, saying it was the right thing to do,”
Lamido continued,
“If we can celebrate Abiola and mark June 12 as a public holiday, then the man who made it possible should also be celebrated.”
“To fully honour June 12, they must also honour Humphrey Nwosu. Name the INEC headquarters after him. Recognize him publicly. He is the one who gave Nigeria that moment of democratic glory.”
Reflecting on the significance of the June 12 election, Lamido called it a Nigerian election, for Nigerians, by Nigerians, and advised today’s leaders to learn from the sincerity and transparency of that process.
“It was our election. It was the freest and fairest ever. If we have the will, we can replicate it. All it takes is commitment to do the right thing.”
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido
