Former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu has passed died.
He was 83 on 2 October and headed the commission that is now known as the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Nwosu died in a hospital in the United States, according to a reliable source who confirmed the news to Vanguard. An official statement regarding his death is expected to be released soon.
Nwosu was appointed NEC Chairman by then military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, serving from 1989 to 1993.
During his tenure, he conducted Nigeria’s historic 12 June 1993 election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in the country’s history.
The election saw Chief Moshood Abiola as the presumed winner, but it was then annulled by Babangida, throwing the country into deep political crisis for years.
Abiola, of the Social Democratic Party, beat Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention.
Nwosu’s legacy remains deeply intertwined with the 12 June 1993 election, which has since become a symbol of democratic struggle in Nigeria.