Some stakeholders in the country’s football have kicked against the process adopted in appointing members of the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) Electoral, Appeals Committees.

The NFF, after its yearly general assembly in Lagos, on Thursday, last week, announced the appointment of members of the Electoral Committee, as well as the Appeals Committee for the September 30 electoral congress, which is expected to usher in a new leadership for Nigerian football.

In a communiqué at the end of the AGA, the NFF named Aikhunegire Anthony Malik as the chairman of the Electoral Committee and also announced Gandi Umar as chairman of the Election Appeals Committee.

Others members of the Electoral Committee are Justice Abdulkadir Zakariyya (vice chairman); Babatunde Ogala – SAN (member); Daha Umar Daura – Danburam (member) and Gambo Mamman (member). It has Ifeanyi Dike and Ransom Ariyo as alternate members.

The NFF Election Appeals Committee also has as members Ayo Akindele – SAN (vice chairman); Rev. Obioma Onyeaghala (member), with Chive Kaave and Idi Halidu Ali as alternate members.

Speaking in Lagos, yesterday, the stakeholders raised concerns over the manner the chairmen and vice chairmen were picked by a few NFF board members, saying the names were neither presented to the Congress at the AGA nor were the members allowed to choose from among themselves as stated in the NFF Electoral Code.

“One of the biggest problems with the NFF under the current leadership is dictatorship and lack of respect for others,” the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.

“For a few members to pick members of both the electoral committee and election appeals committee, without recourse to the NFF laws, shows how the affairs of the NFF have been conducted in recent years.

“The story flying around is that some of these electoral committee and election appeals committee members have personal ties with those that selected them, which is most unfortunate.

“We must be concerned as to whether they will be given the latitude to work independently,” he added.

The Guardian also gathered that the South East Football Zone is worried that none of its members was seen as worthy of leading either the electoral committee or election appeals committee.

“You can see the handwriting on the wall and the direction they want the election to go because how do you explain that nobody from the South East is good enough to be in substantive position in either the election appeals committee or the electoral committee.

“They are also disenfranchised from being voted for by the committee members as prescribed by the Electoral Code.

“We wonder why a chairman, who was hastily and surreptitiously appointed and whose committee has not even been inaugurated, should go to the press within hours of being announced.

“It means they know something that they are not willing to tell us,” a stakeholder from the zone said. (The Guardian)

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