Okorie Calls on Tinubu to Honour Humphrey Nwosu by Renaming INEC HQ

Elder statesman Chief Chekwas Okorie has urged President Bola Tinubu to rename the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.

Okorie’s appeal follows former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida’s recent admission that Chief MKO Abiola won the election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s fairest and freest. He lamented that despite Nwosu’s central role in conducting the election, he remains largely unrecognized.

He praised former President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 as Democracy Day and posthumously honoring Abiola and his running mate, Babagana Kingibe, but noted that Nwosu was left out of the recognition. Okorie recalled that Nwosu had previously documented the true election results in his book, confirming Abiola’s overwhelming victory.

Okorie highlighted that without Nwosu’s bravery in announcing the election results despite military threats, the June 12 legacy would not exist. However, Babangida still annulled the election, leading to decades of political turmoil.

Now, with Babangida publicly acknowledging the election’s legitimacy, Okorie believes it is time for Nigeria to properly honor Nwosu. He urged Tinubu to authorize a national burial for the late electoral chief and immortalize him by renaming INEC’s national headquarters in his honor.