By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka
Abuja
Prof. Chijioke C. Ikokwu, President of The Ivy League Leadership Academy, on Thursday used his Democracy Day address to urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to posthumously honour Prof. Humphrey Nwosu by renaming the Independent National Electoral Commission Headquarters the “Prof. Humphrey Nwosu Centre”.
Speaking in Abuja on the theme “Righteousness Exalts A Nation: Reclaiming Democracy Through Courage and Participation”, Prof. Ikokwu said June 12 is not “merely a date on the calendar” but “the blood-stained testimony of a people who refused to bow to tyranny.” He called on Nigerians to move beyond resilience and embrace active political participation.
“Resilience alone will not deliver the Nigeria we dream of,” he warned. While hailing Nigerians for enduring economic hardship, insecurity and broken promises, he insisted democracy demands more than survival. “Politics is not a spectator sport. Elections are not rituals for others. They are the one instrument by which ordinary men and women shape the destiny of this republic.”
Citing Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people,” Ikokwu argued that voter apathy creates a vacuum quickly filled by corrupt leaders. “When good men abandon the ballot, evil men occupy the seat,” he said.
The address paid tribute to key figures of Nigeria’s democratic struggle. Chief MKO Abiola was remembered as “the symbol of June 12, who won a mandate freely given and paid for it with his life.” He also honoured the Kuti family: Fela Anikulapo Kuti, “whose music was resistance”; Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, “whose stethoscope and activism healed and fought”; and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, “who taught us that courage has no gender.”
Ikokwu extended recognition to students, journalists, market women, labour leaders and “nameless patriots” who were jailed, exiled or killed for democracy. Their sacrifice, he said, must not be reduced to annual speeches but translated into civic action.
He reserved pointed praise for Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission from 1992 to 1993. Ikokwu credited him with “courage, honesty, and wisdom rare in public service” for designing Option A4 and the Modified Open Ballot System, which produced what he described as “the most transparent and credible elections Nigeria has ever witnessed.”
“He stood for truth when it was dangerous to do so. He defended the people’s will when power demanded silence. That is the mark of a statesman,” Ikokwu said. He argued that Nwosu’s legacy deserves permanent national recognition.
The Academy president then made a direct and “strong and unequivocal” appeal to President Tinubu, GCFR, and Senate President Akpabio, GCON: rename the INEC Headquarters after Nwosu posthumously. “Let the building from which our electoral future is steered bear the name of the man who showed us that credible elections are possible in Nigeria.”
According to Ikokwu, such a gesture would “signal to every INEC Chairman present and future that history remembers integrity” and “tell our children that Nigeria rewards courage.” He said honouring Nwosu is as important as remembering Abiola in Nigeria’s democratic narrative.
Closing with a challenge, Ikokwu asked: “Will you vote? Will you run? Will you hold leaders accountable? Will you reject the counsel that ‘politics is dirty’ and instead become the righteousness that exalts this nation?” He concluded: “We have bled for democracy. Let us now live for it. Let us work for it. Let us vote for it.” His speech comes amid ongoing debates on electoral reform and civic participation ahead of future polls.
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