ABUJA – The Electoral Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has cleared 37 candidates for its Sept. 30 elections for chairmanship and other elective positions.
The list, made available on the committee’s website on Thursday, has seven candidates for the chairmanship position.
They are Taiwo Ogunjobi, a former NFF Secretary-General; Amanze Uchegbulam, a former first Vice-Chairman of the NFAF and Mike Umeh, former NFF acting Chairman.
Others are; Amaju Pinnick, the Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission; Dominic Iiorfa, Vice-Chairman of Lobi Stars FC, Markurdi and Shehu Dikko, a member of the League Management Company (LMC).
Abdullahi Abba-Yola, a one-time Special Adviser to the Minister of Sports is the seventh contestant jostling for the chairmanship position.
Emeka Inyama, Chairman of Abia Warriors FC; Shehu Adamu, a former NFA board member and Seyi Akinwunmi, Chairman of Lagos State Football Association are contesting for the first vice chairmanship position.
Suleyman Muazu from Sokoto, who was a member of the Chris Giwa-led board, was also cleared to vie for the first vice chairmanship seat.
The committee also cleared Ibrahim Gusau as the sole candidate for the position of Chairman of Chairmen on the NFA board.
NAN reports that four contestants were cleared from the North Central, South East and South West zones, while South-South and North East zones have five contestants each.
North West zone has three candidates contesting for the membership of the board from where two are expected to emerge to represent the zone.
Samson Ebomhe, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, told NAN that more people were cleared for the elections because of the openness of the committee.
“What we have done is to make it fair and open, that’s why you see the increased number of people who are now participating,’’ Ebomhe said.
According to Ebomhe, the clearance of Suleyman Muazu, who was a member in the Giwa-led board to now vie for the first vice chairman showed how open the committee was. [eap_ad_1] “We did this to assure people that this is an open contest and we cleared him based on the clearance he had before.’’
NAN reports that the eight persons cleared by the previous committee to contest election but failed to write to the reconstituted Electoral Committee to express their willingness to participate were not included in Thursday’s list.
They are Chris Giwa, who won the controversial Aug. 26 NFA Chairmanship election and Segun Odegbami, a former Green Eagles player.
Others are Adama Yahaya, Adamu Yarma, Sani Shema, Felix Obuah, the current PDP chairman in Rivers, Obinna Ogba and Effiong Johnson.
NAN also reports that the election scheduled to take place in Warri is being threatened by a restraining order obtained last Friday by the Giwa-led board from a Federal High Court sitting in Jos. (NAN)
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