From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Victor Umeh, has frowned at the senate’s rejection of the motion seeking to immortalise late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, by re-naming the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after him as very undemocratic.
Senator Umeh expressed this view while featuring on the Channels Television programme ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday.
It could be recalled that the motion to rename INEC after late Prof Nwosu as a way of immortalizing him was raised as matter of urgent public importance duriing the plenary session of the senate on Wednesday, March 26th.
The motion was sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and co-sponsored by members of the minority caucus primarily from the South-East zone.
It aimed at recognizing Professor’s Nwosu’s contributions and courageous defense of the democratic electoral process during the 1993 presidential elections.
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, asserted that the motion was a contentious one, alleging that there was divided public opinion on Prof. Nwosu’s role in the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The motion was eventually rejected as the ‘nays: roared higher when it was put to voice vote.
Speaking on Channels Television thereafter,Senator Umeh described what happened at the red chamber as very undemocratic.
He said, “I think it is a question of people not been fair to a man who has done so well and instead of giving him accolade, we want to be uncharitable to him even unto death. This motion came today at the most timely moment because he will buried on Friday, March 28.
“So, there is no way we cannot talk about his contributions in the parliament, those who have opposing views will say that the man should not be immortalised, those who say that he should be immortalized should say their views.
Shutting down the motion the way it was done this morning is very undemocratic.”
Senator Umeh argued that the Senate leadership should have allowed the lawmakers to debate on the motion, saying that such motions are debated every other day at the Senate irrespective of how anyone feels about the motion.
He said the rejection of the motion is unfair to the late Prof. Nwosu whom he said gave his all for Nigeria.
Prof. Nwosu was the Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, which conducted the June, 1993 presidential election that produced late MKO Abiola as winner, and was adjudged by many as the most credible election conducted in Nigeria.
