By Abiola Olawale
Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who held the position of Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993, has passed away at the age of 83 years.
The NEC is now referred to as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Nwosu was said to have passed away in a hospital in Virginia, USA, after battling with an undisclosed illness.
Nwosu was appointed by the then military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, and he oversaw the June 12, 1993 election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest in the nation’s election trajectory and evidently won by late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola
Nwosu’s commission introduced the novel Option A4 voting system and the Open ballot system. Nwosu had released many of the election results when he was ordered to stop further announcements by the military regime.
Nwosu was born on 2 October 1941. He became a professor of political science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He served in the cabinet of late Samson Omeruah, governor of the old Anambra State, where he helped traditional rulers to gain staffs of office, receive salaries and settle intra and inter-community land disputes.
He also served as chairman of a Federal Technical Committee on the application of Civil Service Reforms in the local government service.
