The much-anticipated Nigeria Football Federations (NFF) elections may not hold as scheduled just as the sports minister, Sunday Dare meets with the presidential candidates today.
It was reliably gathered that the meeting was called by the minister with respect to the elections scheduled to hold in Benin, Edo State on September 30, 2022, which is faced with a legal setback due to a court injunction.
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A letter dated September 23, 2022, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar said “The honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development would like to meet with all the presidential aspirants to the office in the Nigeria Football Federation”.
According to a reliable source in the ministry, the meeting was called to find a way forward while suggesting the elections may not hold.
“The meeting was called by the minister to find a way forward about the elections. As it stands now, I don’t think the elections may hold and that is due to the court injunctions,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the body that sought the court order stopping the elections, the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) has warned FIFA and CAF officials that they run the risk of being detained by security personnel if they attempt to attend and monitor the upcoming Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) elections.
PFAN in a statement signed by its Deputy General Secretary and former Delta State Football Association boss, Edema Fuludu, made the warning known.
“The claimants are already pressing contempt charges against all those violating a subsisting order of a competent court of jurisdiction, however, the claimants will not hesitate to join any FIFA or CAF official who may have been deceived to come to Nigeria to supervise any purported election as their safety and liberty from arrest will not be guaranteed,” the statement said.
In the same vein, the Special Adviser to Gombe State governor on Strategy and Information Management, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, has faulted the move by the minister to meet with all presidential candidates of the NFF.
According to Gara Gombe, the meeting is unnecessary, saying the presidential candidates of NFF have no connection with the sports minister because he is not the electoral umpire.
“Why are they meeting the minister of sports and for what? Did he buy their forms and what connection do they have with him? Is he the one conducting the elections?” Gara asked rhetorically.
“The minister deceived us with a masterplan, promised implementation of it before elections, he promised LMC will be dissolved, nothing happens. The same way the minister bungled the basketball ban with all the collateral damages he will do the same with football. I used to have pity for him before but not anymore.”
The former chairman Gombe State Football Association (GSFA) also accused the candidates of NFF elections of desperation.
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