The late Prof Nwosu
By Williams Orji
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential election, Peter Obi has described the late Prof Humphrey Nwosu, as “a true Democrat and an outstanding academician whose love for democracy and its values was copiously demonstrated in the way and manner he carried out his responsibilities as an electoral umpire between 1989 to 1993.”
Prof Humphrey Nwosu was the former chairman of National Electoral Commission NEC, that supredented the 1993 presidential election that was annulled by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Writing through his X page, Mr Obi said Prof Nwosu’s ” courageous defense of democratic principles, even under a non-democratic government, put him out as a man who was ready even to sacrifice his life for the sake of democracy and good governance.”
For his pivotal role in holding and upholding the 1993 presidential elections, Peter Obi added, ” Prof Nwosu’s name will remain indelible in the history of Nigerian democracy. He stood for the truth In Nigeria for standing for the truth and the best tenets of democracy when it was delicate and even dangerous to do so.”
Obi lamented that ” It’s, however, disheartening to note that what Prof Nwosu did when the nation’s electoral commission was not even legally independent and when billions of taxpayers’ money were not deployed as it is today with an accompanying updated technology could not be repeated in contemporary times in a supposed full democratic system.
” As an academic, Prof Nwosu brought to bear all the principles he taught in the classroom as an erudite professor of Political Science, unlike these days when professors are procured to aid electoral malpractices, including announcing results of elections they did not verify.”
Obi said that for the new Nigeria we desire, ” the country needs more of Professor Nwosu, who will risk their lives for democracy.”
He prayed ” God to forgive his shortcomings while on earth, grant his soul eternal repose, and his family and all lovers of democracy who mourn him the gratitude to bear the huge loss.
“May God Almighty grant Nigeria the likes of Professor Humphrey Nwosu in her future elections,” Obi added.
