BY BEN OGBEMUDIA
Delegates and newly elected board members of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), have started arriving in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, ahead of the much-anticipated presidential election of the Association.
The AFN presidential election which has suffered multiple setbacks and a shift in date and venue is scheduled to be held on Thursday in Abuja.
Initially scheduled for Asaba, Delta State on the 31st of May, the polls were shifted to the 12th June by the last Extra Ordinary Congress of the AFN in Abeokuta after the National Sports Commission (NSC), advised that the elections be moved from Asaba to a neutral venue Abuja since at that time three of the four known presidential aspirants were from Delta State.
Following the advice, which was more of a directive from the National Sports Commission, one of the aspirants a former Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, Retired Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, has strategically pulled out of the race while another aspirant Constantine Itiako Ikpokpo fondly called Malik was comprehensively beaten at the South-South Zonal by Gabriel Okon in an election conducted by Mr. Braveman Wodi in Benin City, Edo State.
Another person eyeing the prestigious and highly esteemed office of the president of AFN, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, is struggling to get a slot into the new AFN board from the North West Zone.
His name will not likely be on the ballot on Thursday as the powerful Electoral Appeal Committee is yet to deliver judgement on his case after he lost from the North West Zonal election to Ladan Abubakar Zurmi from Zamfara State.
Another Zonal election in the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria that is far from being settled is the South East representative with two candidates fighting for the sole ticket from the land of the rising sun.
It’s a massive battle before the Election Appeal Committee between the AFN Performance Director and a former athlete, Victor Okorie, who is seeking re-election into the board and another former athlete, Innocent Ugochukwu Iheme.
Similarly, the election for technical officials and coaches’ representative on the AFN Board, a contest between Solomon Aliyu and Professor Lucas Ogunjimi, is yet to be concluded.
The first round of voting resulted in a 26-26 tie, and the second round also failed to produce a winner, finishing 11-11 in another deadlock.
With no clear winner, the contest now shifts to Abuja, where a final decision will be made on Wednesday, June 11.
The heated and controversial election of the National Association of Women in Sports (NAWIS), that may be challenged due to eligibility of the winner produced a former quarter-miler Fatima Yusuf as their representative on the new look AFN board and she may via for the position of second Vice President of the Federation.
Elections of athletes’ representative and representative of National Association Of Physical, Health Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance – (NAPHER-SD), are yet to be decided.