Chuks Okocha And Ali M. Ali
13 June 2008
Abuja — Exactly 15 years after the conduct of the June 12 1993 presidential election, the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), Profe-ssor Humphrey Nwosu, has exonerated former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, from blame on the annulment of the poll which was considered the freest, fairest and most peaceful in Nigeria's history.
Instead, Nwosu blamed the annulment, which plunged Nigeria into a prolonged political crisis, on a "military cabal". He, however, did not name members of the cabal.
Symbolically, Nwosu declared late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the presidential candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), winner of the election.
In his keynote address at the launch of his book entitled "Laying the Foundation for Nigeria's Democracy: My Account of June 12, 1993 Election and its Annulment", Nwosu said the total votes cast at that historic election was 14,396,917, out of which Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) scored 6,073612, while M.K.O. Abiola of the SDP scored 8,323,305.
He said that Tofa scored at least 1/3 of the total votes cast in 23 states, while Abiola scored 1/3 of the total votes cast in 28 states.
"Consequently, Alhaji M.K.O. Abiola won the election," Nwosu said, adding: "NEC could not announce the result of the election because of the Abuja High Court order which was served on the commission on June 15 1993. NEC through its Director of Legal Services challenged it at the Kaduna Federal Court of Appeal, and then the dissolution of NEC came on June 23, 1993."
He said the defunct NEC wanted to present the presidential election result, but could no longer do so following a June 15, 1993 Abuja High Court order, which restrained the electoral body from announcing the results.
"As a statutory body known in law, it was not right for NEC to disobey a court order, so we appealed the restraining order at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna. The Appeal Court fixed June 25 for judgment, but on June 23, NEC was dissolved," he said.
Nwosu was silent on the ouster clause in the transition to civil rule decree which outlawed the jurisdiction of courts in the election.
His position that the announcement of the results was stalled by a court order tallies with the official position of the military government then which said it wanted to abide by the rule of law.
He, however, blamed a "shadowy cabal in the military" as responsible for the annulment of the June 12 poll.
IBB, widely believed to have masterminded the annulment of the watershed election, was declared free of blame by Nwosu.
"In achieving the above objectives and reforms, the greatest support and strength I received was from President Ibrahim Babangida. He exhibited the strongest political will and provided adequate financial and moral support that sustained me through my tenure as Chairman of NEC," Nwosu said.
Still in defence of Babangida, the former NEC Chairman said: "Some of the people whom some of you think were responsible for the annulment were indeed those that stood behind the election."
He said that his tenure as chairman of the electoral body introduced novel electoral reforms, which he said had stood the test of time.
Some of the reforms introduced by Nwosu included the Modified Open Ballot System, Option A4 formula for primary elections of candidates and for the general election as well as the two-party system in the country.
And in what appears to be an indictment of the current electoral process, the Professor of Political Science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka said: "What makes election transparent is not the transparent ballot boxes. Voting and counting must be concluded in the presence of all. Staggering the voting period makes room for manipulation. A system where the counting of votes takes place in the evening makes room for manipulation. Manipulation of votes starts between 1-3pm. Everybody has to wait and hear the results released."
Nwosu, who was full of praise for the conduct of the June 12 presidential election, noted that "all national divides, regional, religious primordial and ethnic sentiments were set aside. Nigerians made their sacred choices, under peaceful and congenial atmosphere. Adequate organisational, logistical and security facilities were put in place to enhance the conduct of free and fair election. No opportunities were allowed for stuffing of ballot boxes with fake papers."
He observed that "election results were not written before election; electoral outcomes were collated with dispatch, (and) above all, the generality of Nigerian public, as well as international observers had confidence in the electoral outcome."
Nwosu recommended a two or three-party system as the current 50 political parties in the country "are unwieldy". He also advocated laws in the constitution to support elections in Nigeria.
Earlier, Chairman of the book launching committee, former NEC Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Tonnie Iredia, said that there was the need for a second part of the book to include how Nwosu was arrested and the details of the cheques given to NEC to facilitate the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In his review of the book, a former NEC National Commissioner, Prof. Adele Jinadu, queried why Nwosu took 15 years to write the book.
He described the annulment of the election as interplay of complex contending forces, but blamed the author for not including details of names of those behind the annulment of the election.
Jinadu queried whether it could be taken that by the annulment that former Military President Babangida was not in charge or could it be right for NEC to have disobeyed a court order and announced the result of the election. He also queried whether NEC as constituted then was autonomous.
When the name of current INEC Chairman, Prof. Mauirice Iwu, was called for recognition, the audience booed him.
Almost all former NEC National Commissioners were present. Those present included the NEC Secretary, Aliyu Umar, Jinadu, Alhaji Oyeyemi, Chief Onyeru and Prof. Kiyawa, among others.
Dignitaries that attended yesterday's launch included Senator Bode Olajumoke, Senator Ben Obi, former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, Alhaji Saleh Jambo, Prof. Iya Abubakar and Brigadier General Harilu Akilu.
General Babangida and Chief Ernest Shonekan, both special guests of honour were, however, absent.
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If Babangida did not annul June 12, 1993 election, what is the significance of his desolving NEC? People do not need to be professors to be able to put 2 and 2 to make 4!
Thank you Prof. Nwosu because you could decide to take your disclosure with you when the good Lord calls but instead you decided to save Nigeria from a wild goose chase. Of course the pundits will have a field day like they have already had with convoluted account of what happened.
Your account is the role of a scholar with integrity who has his country in mind. Your account was not bias and your name has been written in the annals of our cultural heritage with the likes of Justice Lambo, Showomimo, Michael Okpara and another gentleman from the North (his name forgotten) who gave account of what happened in 1967 and declared that Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi was a good and had Nigeria in mind.
To start the healing in Nigeria I will reiterate my call for town meetings between Gen. Odumegwu Ojukwu and Gen. Jacob Gowon to have to take questions from the ordinary Nigeria about the war. They should tell us about what happened and how the war could have been avoided. Discuss about what they feel Nigerians need to do to build a strong and trusted nation.
Unfortunately those who have benefited from this inaction and will continue to do so would kick against this important historical Truth and Reconciliation Commission for business as usual.
Let us borrow a page from the Obama phenomena sweeping across North America and Europe to take a hold in Nigeria and bring about the kind of change we can believe in.
Hey! HeY1 Hey! Throughout my stay in Nigeria, there was no Justice Lambo. We had Professor Adeoye Lambo of the University of Ibadan. Professor Lambo was the one associated with the "Apampa Rice riots" in which a student lost his life from a gunshot. I was on duty as an officer that day. Dr Okpara was not a thief like the Governors we know today but my memory of this man is not that rosy. Dr. Okpara was the one who told me when I was in high School that "All this River, Cross River State thing na lie yo.." "We go drive Onan go Nembe waterside". Also, why dont you just accept defeat and honor Gown? Ojukwu led a war with the intention of carrying the minorities with him. His soldiers killed lots of people from Rivers State. For example, they killed Chief Ikonibo Anthony and his brother Igbowei Anthony.Finally, I am one of those who think that Babangida is a sick thief and an idiot who put us where we are today-poor, hungry etc etc.
Conscience is an open wound only truth can heal it-Uthman Dan Fodio, on the sanctity of truth. As far as I'm concerned, Nigerians have not heard the whole truth from Nwosu.For having the temerity to rewrite the history of this country when it is common knowledge that the likes of IBB, OBJ, e tal were those who truncated the late MKO's mandate is highly reprehensible and condemnable. The likes of Nwosu reminds us all about the proverbial Ostrich, which is wont to bury its head on the sand and pretend that all is well. Until he purges himself of his wrongs,things can never be well with him. So, my advice to Nwosu is to seek for forgiveness now while he is yet alive because tomorrow may be too late.
Brother HEY, The problem with Nigerians is that they have refused to understand their history hence they are gullible to their environment. I will excuse you but would be glad to educate you about your history. Justices Lambo and Showomimo were Yorubas who tried Chief Enahoro and Awolowo another westerners respectively for treason and sentence them to jail. What made them great was that they lived above the fray did not consider tribe or ethnicity and yet found great Icons as Chief Awolowo and Enahoro guilty. That would not happen in Nigeria today where tribe and money transcends justice.
But where are you today? Are you better off today than you were thirty five or so years ago. You can only solve a problem when you identify it. As long as you continued to hanker on the convoluted facts about Ojukwu and the Biafra intent you will continue to reach a faulty conclusion about what happened and where you would have been today. Biafra did not fight for supremacy but for survival and rights of the Easterners. Today the oil money from the East is headed to the North and West. Tomorrow the air and water will be diverted to the same direction hence your youths are involved in a struggle against the oil companies and the Federal Govt. headed either by a Northern or a Western and yet you have the guts to vilify Ojukwu and Okpara. Shame on you and I hope you grow up and smell the coffee.
Prof. Nwosu spoke with candor his only sin is that he did tell you and the others what you wanted to hear. He called it as he saw it and too bad if you and the rest cannot take solcae in his assessment of the situation. The other people have remain silent on the atrocity of the war against a group and sell out after they were assured that West will go if East goes. What goes around also comes around.
As far as the people of this country are concerned, it's pay back time and heads have got to roll, if we are to undo the evil the June 12 saga has brought on us collectively. This is not the time to cover up in a hide and seek game as Prof H. Nwosu was trying to do. There is a case of coup and murder(MKO Abiola), that need to be investigated thoroughly and satisfactory. Punitive measures has to be meeted out to the perpetrators. Professor Humphrey Nwosu, Babangida and his cohorts (living or dead) should be brought to justice for such an heinous crime. Remember I've written several articles on this matter of national importance in the past. Fellow Nigerians, This is a water shed in our history, Nigeria is more important than the likes of these National traitors. We don't need them, let the full force of the law fall on those Military and civilian conspiring coupists the way they have usurped the law against, Gideon Okah, Maman Vatsa etc. This is their turn and the full course of the law must take hold. Miss this turn and kiss Nigeria goodbye, remember many good leaders have died for this Nation only to be grabbed by usurpers like Babangida and co. There will continue to be a united and virile Nigeria without Babangida and co, I rest my case.