Senator Adams Oshiomhole has criticized Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the former Chairman of the now-defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), for his actions during the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
This election is often regarded as one of the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, with the late Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) believed to be its legitimate winner.
Thirty-two years later, Oshiomhole, representing Edo North in the National Assembly, pointed out Nwosu’s failure to announce the election results he oversaw. He contended that declaring Abiola the winner would not have led to disastrous consequences, arguing that at worst, the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida might have imprisoned or killed him.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by Tunexreportes Oshiomhole stated, “If Nwosu had declared him, heaven would not fall. At most, they might detain him, but how could they justify detaining someone following the military’s own laws?” He expressed confusion as to why, after organizing the election up to the presidential level, Nwosu would not take the final step of declaring the winner. Oshiomhole highlighted that Abiola, who died seeking to reclaim his mandate, had the resolve to declare himself the victor, a stance Nwosu should have been able to replicate given his academic background in Political Science.
