Players union threatens to scuttle elections over NFF statute

Although members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) General Assembly, on Thursday in Lagos, agreed to hold the Federation’s elective congress in Benin City on September 30, 2022, there are indications that the polls may not hold over what some describe as the insincere posture of the NFF’s current board.

One of the issues the players are kicking against is the programme for the elections, which has not addressed their demand for a change in the order of the polls.

The Guardian recalls that some stakeholders agreed to withdraw a suit they filed at a Bayelsa High Court to pave way for new elections on the understanding that some ‘anomalies’ in the Statute would be addressed before the polls.

Harrison Jalla, who is the head of a task force set up by the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) to articulate its position on the elections, accused the conveners of the general assembly of tactically disallowing players representatives “from participating in the meeting and so, were not a part of the decisions taking.”

He affirmed that players are an integral part of the current five constituent members of the congress, adding that ‘they are waiting and watching patiently, like vultures’ as events unfold. 

Jalla added: “They can return to the trenches if the issue of not holding new Local Government Football Council and State Football Association elections before the general elections is not dealt with first, to produce a brand-new electorate that will elect a brand-new leadership.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the NFF Electoral Committee 2022, Aikhunegbe Anthony Malik, has declared that his team is ready to accomplish the task at hand with utmost integrity and credibility, saying transparency and diligence will be their watchwords.

Speaking yesterday, a day after the Congress constituted his committee and the NFF Election Appeals Committee, Malik assured that the business of giving Nigeria a new NFF Executive Committee would be done without fear or favour, and within the 42 –day time span.

At its 77th yearly General Assembly on Thursday, the NFF Congress set aside the provisions of the NFF Statutes 2010 and the NFF Electoral Code 2009 that provide for a certain duration between the time of the constitution of the Electoral Committee and the conduct of elections.

This enabled Congress to set up both the Electoral Committee and the Election Appeals Committee with a mandate for the conduct of elections on September 30, 2022, in Benin City.