Barely 48 hours to the Sports Federation Election scheduled to hold in
Abuja, facts have started emerging on the under hand play by the
current Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi to systematically eliminate
his perceived enemies to ensure that majority of the federation
presidents come from his state.
Investigation shows that the Kwara born Sports Minister in
collaboration with the Director of Sports Bolaji Ojo-Oba who is also
from Kwara State have schemed out all the front runners in favour of
his cronies.
It was gathered that as at last count, six sports federations have
been cornered by the minister. In making sure that this was achieved,
Bolaji Abdullahi has changed the election guideline about four times
in order to achieve his aim.
To further reduced the election to mere selection of candidates, he
was allegedly instructed Director of Sports Bolaji Ojo-Oba not to
release the list of elected board member that will elect the
federation president and further withhold the forms meant for
intending contestants for the position of the president.
Remarkably, the routine newspaper advert that precedes the actual
election where the names of board members will be published for public
scrutiny was tactically avoided by the Bolaji Abdullahi led National
Sports Commission.
In contradiction of election guideline, the Minister has also avoided
the dissolution of the board thereby making the outgoing federation
presidents to nominate their cronies as players’ nominees in the board
to enhance their re-election chances.
As at press time, Kogi State Sports Council is protesting that Bolaji
Ojo-Oba ignored the withdrawal of their Director which failed to
represent the interest of the state in the last zonal election.
The poor credibility of the election has led to the stakeholders
calling for the immediate postponement of the election in order to
give way for credible independent electoral body to come in and
conduct the election.
Close followers of sports federation election have also said that what
the current minister is doing with the election will further create
acrimony among the stakeholders of the game and further under- develop
the sports in the country.
