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A former chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), who conducted the June 12, 1993 general elections, Professor Humphrey Nwosu, has passed on.
Prof Nwosu died in a hospital in the United States, according to a reliable source who confirmed the news to Blueprint.
An official statement regarding his death is expected to be released any moment soon.
Born on October 2, 1941, Nwosu was appointed NEC chairman by then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida and served from 1989 to 1993.
During his tenure, he conducted Nigeria’s historic June 12, 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 was however annulled in controversial circumstances.
Chief Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) reportedly beat Bashir Tofa of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC).
Nwosu’s legacy remains deeply intertwined with the June 12 election, which has since become a symbol of democratic struggle in Nigeria, as the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared June 12 Democracy Day.
