By UZOMA AHAMEFULE

Igbos in Vienna were agog over Igbo Cultural Society’s (ICS) election coming up on 2 June 2024 (this Sunday). Reliable information has it that many of the Igbos did a lot of politicking in a few social gatherings that took place in Vienna recently. Many were said to be curious and cannot wait for the day of the election to come and go and a winner announced. Campaigns for one’s candidate are also still going on underground. But one of such campaigns has gone wrong, hence this piece.

My attention has been drawn from numerous sources of a rumor flying around the Igbo community in Vienna, Austria with my name. According to the laughable gossip I, Uzoma Ahamefule, am contesting in the upcoming ICS election. It is claimed that I would be contesting the position of secretary in alliance with one of the chairmanship contestants.

I want to unequivocally state that there is no iota of truth in those claims. Correspondingly, I must also say without any ambiguity that such mischievous rumor must have been concocted by some frustrated individuals the reality of the slim chances of their candidate has downed on and the fear of his failure has gripped and forced to adopt deception and propaganda. Thus, as a way of remedy in their illusion, they hoped to turn the table to the favor of their candidate. But one cannot sow cassava and reap cocoyam.

According to Robert Louis Stevenson, “You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs.” This ridiculous and malicious rumor has made it imperatively vital for me to make my stand publicly known on who my chairmanship candidate in this coming ICS election is.

Anthony Egwuibe who is currently the interim Chairman has shown leadership quality and capacity to lead Ndigbo in Vienna. As a long time and reliable member of ICS who has served as a vice-chairman, he has vast experience that he will bring to practicality for the benefit of the Igbos. We must have to tap from his knowledge and cannot afford to toy with that, for knowledge and experience are things one can never buy or borrow. The application of his intelligence and wisdom during the short period he chaired Ndigbo as a result of the death of the former Chairman won my heart. He has continued to exhibit maturity in handling issues since his reign. He is my candidate and I will vote for him, and crave for all to do so for the continuity of Igbos progress.

However, as a democrat, I will still tell all to vote the candidate of their choice, but there are factors we all must consider before voting so that we do not bring Ndigbo in Vienna 10 steps backwards.

1. Do not vote anyone because he is your friend, belongs to one social club with you or is from your state etc. If you do, you have lost the right of protest not only against bad governance in Nigeria, but also against those who vote based on ethnicity and religion etc.

2. Capacity, character and integrity must be considered. Vote a candidate because you believe that he has what it takes, and can deliver. The character of the person you want to vote and how honest he is are considerations that are vital and topics that can never be overemphasized. Can that person stand morally tall when the chips are down? How is his temperament? How much maturity has he shown on issues you are aware of?

There are many factors supporting the candidacy of Mr Egwuibe. He is not just like an interim-incumbent chairman that has integrity, character and that has shown capacity, he is also living in Vienna. There is no way an Abia State Governor should live in Bauchi State and govern Abia State qualitatively, or the Mayor of Vienna goes to Kärnten and lives and governs Vienna from there and governs it well. These are facts, and facts remain facts that reasonable people do not argue against. There will be occasions the presence of our Chairman will be needed in Vienna, and it could be an emergency. What happens in this situation if our chairman resides in Salzburg? The highest thing he could do under such circumstance would be to delegate someone to represent him. Will we blame such chairman in that situation? Would that be what we really want? How long could we do that? How much would that affect our membership drive?

The choices before all of us now are like the choices we had at the time of the Nigerian election in 2015, between President Jonathan and Gen. Buhari. The difference is that in 2015 we had a choice between a democrat and a dictator who was also a bigot that was not capable to lead Nigeria as a president, and in the ICS election, all the candidates are efficiently qualified. But like I have stated above, experience and the proximity or the residential place of our chairman amongst other reasons are vital points that cannot just be washed away if we really desire good results for the interests of Ndigbo as a whole.

Our votes this coming Sunday will make or mar ICS. The choice is ours.

Please, let me re-emphasize to the clarity of all that I am not contesting for any position in the upcoming ICS election, and that the fabricated lies to deceive the public came from the pit of hell that cannot sell. The rumor is hereby debunked. And for efficiency and continuity of the Igbos, vote wisely, vote experience, vote Mr Anthony Egwuibe for Chairman.

•Uzoma Ahamefule, a concerned patriotic citizen and a refined African traditionalist, writes from Vienna, Austria.

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