In a bold move to discharge an attempt to weave false narratives and distort historical facts of the role played by the late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu in the June 12 1993 election saga by Senator Oshimole, the Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Senator Austin Akobundu took on Senator Adams Oshiomhole of Edo North Senatorial District head-on , describing his remarks as uncharitable during Senate plenary on Thursday.
Recall that while making contributions to the motion on the need to immortalise Prof. Nwosu who was chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), the body that conducted what is known to be the freest and fairest election in Nigeria to date, Oshiomhole had disingenuously claimed that “Humphrey Nwosu’s courage failed him when most needed and cannot be rewarded”, among other skewed narratives he volunteered on the issue.
This, however, earned Oshiomhole a sharp retort from Senator Austin Akobundu, who described Oshiomhole’s narrative as “very uncharitable.” He went ahead to remind the former Governor of Edo State that “Recently, the former president, Ibrahim Babangida, owned up to his mistakes,” asking that, “If Humphrey Nwosu did not conduct a credible election, how would Abiola’s election be validated? So, it was a validation (of the election),” he declared.
Akobundu, who joined the caucus of senators that staged a walkout over the issue, earlier made his contributions to the motion while reacting to Oshiomhole’s stance on the matter.
“I was in service (during the June 12 saga) and I know a whole lot about the doggedness, the courage that Humphrey Nwosu demonstrated up to the point he was stopped from continuing with the results. To stay here and not acknowledge that Humphrey was a fighter who stood his ground against the military leadership to ensure that democracy was enthroned is most uncharitable.
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“It is very uncharitable for Senator Oshiomhole to say that when he (Nwosu) was alive, he didn’t do anything. Let me bring it out that Humphrey Nwosu published a book where he detailed all that happened, including the results that validated Abiola’s election.
“Humphrey Nwosu remains a great man in our hearts and should be given his rightful place in the hall of honour in this country,” Akobundu concluded.
Nigerians from across different spectrums have been pouring encomiums on Senator Akobundu, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and their other colleagues who pushed for the immortalisation of the late NEC Chief describing them as courageous and forthright in the pursuit of truth and defence of historical facts.
