DAMATURU – A Chairmanship candidate who was disqualified in the recently conducted Yobe Football Federation elections, Alhaji Muhammad Mai-Babi, has threatened to sue the Nigeria Football Federation over some alleged irregularities in the conduct of the elections.
Mai-Babi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Sunday that some election guidelines were circumvented, to the disadvantage of some contestants.
He alleged that due process was not followed in constituting the Electoral Committee as well as the subsequent disqualification of candidates, before shifting the election venue to Bauchi, among other irregularities.
“The election was conducted in Bauchi, contrary to the law which stipulates that elections must be conducted in respective capitals of the states.
“It is also very absurd that the electoral committee adopted the Plateau state election guidelines instead of that of Yobe state that was sold along with the forms to aspirants.
“Most unfortunately again, stakeholders, including referees, coaches, club owners and players, who are eligible members of congress and entitled to vote, were schemed out and denied participation” he said.
He further alleged that “the electoral committee disqualified aspirants who were seen as threat to the sitting executive members, and cleared only those seen as friends to the EXCO.
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He threatened that “until that charade called election is cancelled and a proper election conducted, I will be forced by such inaction to proceed to court to seek redress.”
Reacting to the allegation, Alhaji Garba Mackenzie, Yobe chairman of the Football Federation, dismissed the claims saying, all provisions were met before the election was conducted.
“The representative of NFF that monitored the election here in Yobe, observed that some aspects of the electoral guidelines, were not adhered to and so the election was shifted from the initial date to a later date, and subsequently conducted.
“Contrary to claims that the election was conducted in Bauchi, we conducted the election in Potiskum; Potiskum was considered safer than Damaturu because the environment in Damaturu was charged,” he said.
Mackenzie said all those disqualified were communicated the basis of their disqualification, as such it was not true that the electoral guideline was abused.
He also argued that every stakeholder that was eligible to participate in the election had participated, with no one left out. (NAN)
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