Remembering The Hero Of June 12 Election

By Tajudeen A Tijjani, Kaduna-Nigeria..

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: History is ever kind to those who made good decisions or vice versa, but the circumstances surrounding each action or actions may differ . It will however remain as part of history that may be difficult to erase.

Therefore, there is no how we transform the democracy put in place today, that one name will not come up in the history of the nation’s nascent democracy.

As a young reporter and Deputy Bureau Chief of the rested New Nigerian Newspapers in Abuja during the June 12 political stampede, and covering the activities of the then Independent National Election Commission (INEC), among many other journalists, both local and foreign, it was one of a beat that one can hardly forget.

There were batteries of journalists and cameramen from all over the world to cover the great events which was later truncated and buried by the Military Government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and today the event had become part of the political history of Nigeria

As the June 12 election results were progressing with the late INEC chairman, Professor Humphrey Nwosu and his team were sitting in the hall and the whole nation was eager to hear the final results, the unexpected happened when he was ordered to stop the announcement by the Army led by then Director of operations of the Commission, a Colonel of the Nigerian Army.

The erudite Professor Nwosu despite his argument that the results have reached the peak, and only few states remained to be announced, the army acting on order from above have barricaded the office and could not listen to any explanation from the political science Professor who from there was whisked away to an unknown destination .
Professor Humphrey Nwosu will be remembered as a man who stood by the truth, and performed well as the electoral umpire of June 12 political impasse and deserved to be recognized by those in power today. He was saved by the whiskers from death when he refused at a gun point to stop the further announcement of the election results.

In the history of election umpires in Nigeria since the Second Republic, the INEC headed by the erudite scholar had been adjudged by politicians and other stakeholders, even outside the country shore, as one that may be hard to forget or buried. The act of nationalism exhibited by the Professor and his team should not be allowed to go into the dustbin of history.

This country must recognize those who made the Democracy we are experimenting at the moment possible, and be celebrated and honoured, besides any sentiments, the late Professor and his team did their utmost best during the rough period, in order to see that democracy was not derailed.

It is therefore sad that many legislators in the current National Assembly have now turned the idea to immortalize the late Professor into politics of religion and ethnicity, which should not be so, considering the commitment of the late INEC boss.

Late Professor Nwosu was a man of honor and integrity, who deserves a National recognition by the Federal Government. The contributions of the man must not be allowed to go in vain.

He should not be seen from religious or tribal perspectives before been conferred a National honour. The Professor deserve to be among those that should be remembered at every celebration of June 12 . There would not have been any Democracy day to celebrate without the commitment of the Nwosu led INEC.

The erudite Professor of Political Science put his life on the guillotine for democracy to survive, and he deserves a National honour, and his name be written in Gold to encourage those who want to put their best in any national assignment to do so without any compromise. The late Professor was bent on making a difference, but fate had other plans.

The current National Assembly, as the Representatives of all Nigerian citizens irrespective of tribe or religion, should strive to build an assembly of all Nigerians.

Finally, instead of the National Assembly to turn the issue of the late Professor into religion and ethnicity, they should do the needful and honour those who deserved to be honored. The man deserved it, and it has become imperative to do so for history to judge us well.

Tajudeen A Tijjani wrote in from Kaduna Nigeria.
The first article on the subject matter was not error free.