Adams Oshiomole, senator representing Edo north, claimed that Nwosu does not deserve national honour because he died without confessing that Abiola won the June 12 election.

However, in an interview with Sahara TV in 2014, Nwosu said all the results of the June 12 election were tendered in court as “public documents”.

He added that his commission fought injunctions against the conduct of the election and the announcement of the outcome.

Nwosu added that the military dissolved his commission two days before a court ruling that would have allowed him to announce the results of the election.

“When the results started coming in on June 13 and 14, it [the collation process] was to be completed around June 17 and 18. The other party, NRC, had even congratulated SDP for winning. Suddenly, there was a letter on me by the commissioner of police that we should cease releasing the results,” he said.

“On June 16, I summoned an emergency meeting of the commission. All the results had come in except from Taraba. The resident commissioner was on his way from Taraba with the results. We would have released the results at around June 17. So they said stop.”

‘ABACHA SCREAMED AT ME, IBB TOLD ME I WAS ON MY OWN’

Nwosu added that Sani Abacha, the chief of defence staff who seized power less than three months after IBB “stepped aside”, also barked at him over the announcement of the results.

“The military then said a committee headed by Abacha should find a solution to the problem. Abacha was in that committee, Murtala Nyako, Aliyu Gusau and David Mark were also in that committee. Then, another sub-committee was created,” he said.

“I told them that there was nothing to meet about that; the law is clear because an election has been conducted and results have been collated, and the only one remaining was that of Taraba, and we have come along with it.

“I told them to allow us to complete the exercise. Abacha screamed at me when he heard this. He told me who do I think I was. He said I was not a member of the national security council and that I went ahead and held an election even after the court had declared it illegal.

“In fact, I was called into a meeting by the national defence and security council and asked if I would release the result without informing the military body. I replied: ‘That is the law. There was no provision for the highest ruling military body to vet the result. The law says the results should be announced at ward, local, state and, finally, headquarters level’.

“I and my national commissioners were summoned to Aso Rock, and Babangida asked what the NEC’s position was on the election. We answered that the NEC should be allowed to conclude the election and announce the result and that we would challenge the letter served by the commissioner of police halting the release of election results. Then Babangida told us, ‘You people are on your own’.

“Then we went to court. The attorney general of the federation should have championed our position, but he did not. It was Bukhari Bello, director of NEC’s Lagos services, who went to the Kaduna court of appeal and filed the papers.”

Nwosu added that the military dissolved NEC on June 23 to prevent the court from certifying results of the poll.

“We submitted all the results, including that of Taraba, showing that Abiola won the election. Abiola was represented by K Ajayi, and Tofa was also represented. The court held its first sitting, and Justice Okey Achike was the chairman,” he said.

“He was ready to conclude, and he ordered the Abuja high court to submit all matters relating to the election. All the results were submitted to his court for accelerated hearing and decision [slated] for June 25, 1993.

“When you submit something to the court, it becomes a public document, is it not? All the results were submitted to the court headed by Okey Achike, showing that Abiola won. Abiola knew. When this was to be done on June 25, the military quickly dissolved my commission on June 23.

“I am saying for public record that Abiola won the June 12 election. In all the documents that we submitted, as far back as June 20, 1993.”

[TheCable]