I am compelled to react to the misleading narrative that Afam Osigwe was being a poor sportsman and biting the finger that fed him by refusing to submit to EBF endorsement. Nothing can be further from the truth. He is a fine gentleman who refuses to submit to subterfuge, hypocrisy and treachery.
The point has to be made that EBF endorsement process is a voluntary process . It is not mandatory that one must submit to same especially as in Osigwe’ s case he has compelling reasons not to do so.
Much as I respect EBF (an Mazi Afam Osigwe did too), I find it difficult to swallow a bitter pill in a bid to please people so as to be considered “good”. We that are with Mazi Afam Osigwe believe in nothing but justice, equality and sincerity.
It is good that the supporters of the EBF “endorsed aspirant” have forced me to open up on how I feel in the whole EBF endorsement and what have you. My opening up is particularly important in the light of the interview Mazi Osigwe granted DNL. https://www.dnllegalandstyle.com/ebf-boycott-mazi-usoro-san-speak/
From the interview he provided insight into the hypocrisy for the EBF and its touted endorsement.
This is why people like us are bent on standing firm and saying the truth no matter what. In my independent assessment and research, I found out more, which I hope you’d take time and read and then be the judge.
We hate injustice and hypocrisy. Today EBF is madly in love with an aspirant who has never respected EBF decisions on candidates. Parochial persons who are in fact members of a particular aspirants Campaign team are churning out write ups on the beauty of endorsement as well as the need for those who were not “endorsed” by EBF to “show spirit of sportsmanship” and support the “chosen one” . These latter day lovers of EBF think others are fools or cannot remember the truth about “endorsement” in EBF.
Today EBF claims to have endorsed as its “sole candidate” to contest for NBA Presidential election an aspirant who in 2014 supported Reuben James of Kaduna branch even though Mazi Afam Osigwe was endorsed” by EBF for the post of General Secretary. Indeed it was an open secrets he prevailed on the leadership of Onitsha branch at the time as many notable members of the branch to work and vote against Mazi Afam Osigwe. This was not in any way limited to Onitsha branch as a prominent aspirant who was similarly “endorsed” actively worked against Mazi Afam Osigwe by working for and voting for Steve Abar, who was also a candidate in the same election. Despite the open knowledge and report EBF failed to sanction them or indeed take the after seriously.
The same aspirant whose supported have taken to social media to make a case for respecting EBF decision did not even congratulate Mazi Afam Osigwe after he won election as General Secretary. He also worked against Uju Chukwuma-Okafor in the last election even though she was similarly “endorsed”. In fact many prominent members of the branch worked assiduously to ensure Uju did not win the election.
He now wants to benefit from EBF after sabotaging others who were “endorsed”. He has not even stopped as he is already working against some “endorsed” aspirants whom he does not trust because they are perceived to be close to other aspirants.
In the same 2014, Barth Okoye Aniche contested in the election despite his undertaking not to do so after losing out in his bid to get EBF endorsement, yet EBF did not suspend him as provided in the constitution. In 2015 and 2017 same Barth Aniche Okoye sought to be Vice Chairman and Chairman respectively of the EBF Governing Council .
How can one trust such an organization. Is this the type of forum one should submit to for endorsement with a promise to withdraw from a contest if one did not get endorsement? Not at all.
Let everyone present himself and their program to the voters and let the voters decide. The hypocrisy MUST stop. Voters must be the judge of who should lead the Bar. The voters are the king in the forthcoming election and not any forum whose independence, impartiality, and ability to enforce its rules is suspect .
Anything short of this will make the NBA election “anything but”. Let all aspirants present the manifesto when the time comes.
Eze Gab Chikwado
