Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said those responsible for the annulment of the 1993 presidential election now regret their action.
He submitted while lauding the leadership of the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, who served as Chairman of the defunct National Election Commission (NEC) from 1989 to 1993.
Speaking at the Afternoon of Tributes event held for the late NEC boss yesterday in Abuja, Yakubu said Nwosu’s leadership during the 1993 election, which saw Chief M.K.O. Abiola as the winner of the poll, re-emphasised that the exercise is still recognised as one of the most transparent and credible in the country’s electoral history.
Former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, during the official launch of his memoir, ‘A Journey in Service,’ in Abuja expressed regret over the annulment of the election, describing it as the most difficult period of his life.
Despite the action, Yakubu noted that “with time, the 1993 election has come to be seen as a milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey, and those responsible for its annulment have since expressed regret.”
Observing that Nwosu introduced many innovations in election management, Yakubu said the late NEC boss laid the foundation for the independence of the commission, by initiating the current three-layer structure for the commission, with offices at national, state and local government levels.
According to Yakubu, Nwosu also introduced some reforms to election management, especially the Open Ballot System, popularly referred to as Option A4, in which voters queued up behind the symbol of the party of their choice to vote and be physically counted.
He said: “Professor Nwosu did his best, which was not always appreciated by many, including those who appointed him under an infinite transition from military rule to democracy, which ended in the annulment of the presidential election held in 1993, resulting in the dissolution of the electoral commission and the emergence of an interim government.
“However, with time, the outcome of his effort is now widely appreciated. The election is now celebrated as one of the best in Nigeria. Even those who annulled it have expressed regret. ”
