Why AFN election may lead to a fresh round of crisis

The election ordered by the World Athletics (WA) and Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) into the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria was called to broker peace amongst the contending factions is panning out to become a farce.

With two factions holding separate elections on Monday, this may be the beginning of another round of crisis.

For some, the custodian of sports in Nigeria, the Nigeria Olympic Committee, has not done enough to avert the crisis that has denied the country’s athletes to blossom.

Background

Nigerian sports and crisis are like Siamese twins, and the governing body for athletics in Nigeria, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN),has more than had its fair share of crises since it was established in 1944.

The current crisis began shortly after the Ibrahim Gusau-led board was inaugurated in 2017 by former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

From then, till now, the period could be described as the year of the locust in Nigeria athletics as the sport and athletes have suffered because a faction of AFN board led by Mr Gusau and another faction led by Olamide George has held the sports to ransom.

WA and CAA waded into the crisis and directed a single election on June 14, 2021, using the 2017 constitution of the federation. The two factions agreed to hold elections but not one has commanded by WA and CAA because the Gusau faction is holding its election in Birin-Kebbi, Kebbi State and the George-led board, backed by Sports Minister Sunday Dare, is holding its election in Abuja.

In all of these, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) President, Habu Gumel ,who ought to call the parties to order, is standing aloof, as the sports that has brought Nigeria more honour at the global and continental level than any other is steadily being destroyed.

Origin of the Crisis

The crisis started in 2017 shortly after the board’s inauguration. Mr Gusau showed he was not comfortable with Mr George as Vice-President, and thus made his right-hand man Sunday Adeleye the unofficial Vice-President and Technical Director.

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