By Gbenga Jolaosho Abuja .
Th e re-run election into the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) yesterday was enmeshed in confusion as two of the candidates jostling for seats in the AFN Board went to secure a court injunction to stop proceedings. Th e re-run election which supposed to hold since July 7th in Abuja was shifted to Th ursday was truncated by a court injunction and made many of the candidates to protest the annulment of the re-run elections.
Th e protest was also fuelled by the decision of the Arbitration and Harmonization Committee comprising the Nigeria OlympiCommittee and the Ministry of Youth and Sport to uphold the elections in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Weightlifting Federation which had earlier been cancelled by the Abdulrazak Salau led Appeals Committee set up by the Sports Ministry. It could be recalled that the Abdulrazak Salau led Appeals Committee had earlier nullifi ed the AFN and other three sportsGymnastics, Weightlifting and Teamwork federations’ elections held on June 13 due to irregularities and petitions that dogged the exercise.
Th e Salau-led Appeal Committee sustained the petitions of Rosa Collins, Brown Ebewele and Charity Opara-Asonze over their unlawful disqualifi cation in the June 13 election despite their successes in the zonal elections that preceded the contentious June 13 exercise, and returned them to participate in the re-run fi xed for yesterday. Meanwhile, the inauguration of all 31 National Sports Federations will take place today at the National Stadium Abuja at 2pm.
In some major decisions taken, the Arbitration and Harmonization committee upheld elections in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Weightlifting Federation. Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau’s election as President of the federation was upheld as well as the North west zone where he emerged from while Patrick Estate Onyedum’s election as South East representative was also upheld. His challenger Christy Opara Asonze was dismissed because she had served a 5year ban for drug use by WADA and was not eligible to contest as stipulated in the guidelines. Solomon Ogba was returned also as Sponsor/ Ex-offi cio as of AFN as approved by the federation while the case of Hamid Adio was dismissed. Rosa Collins and Brown Ebewele were earlier reinstated as representatives of NAWIS and Technical representatives.
Th e case of Haruna Bako and that of Charles Yayock of the North west Zone were both dismissed for lack of merit. In Traditional Sports, the election of Mallam Usman Musa as the duly elected President was upheld and not Mohammed Garba Lere. Th e Committee was furnished with fresh pictorial evidence and interviews with those at the election venue proving that Musa Usman won the election and he was so declared winner.
The Federation is however mandated to appoint an international representative as the committee affirmed the reversal of Mohammed Abdullahi who is the current President of Archery. In Rugby, the petitioner Ntiense Williams presented a historic analysis of Rugby activities in Nigeria and called on the Ministry to use the guidelines used by other sports federations in the June 13 elections. Th e election into Rugby are ongoing at about now. In Weightlifting, the election of Hon Yahaya Mohammed as President was upheld as well as that of the Vice President Emeka Daniel Nwankwo. Th ere will be no fresh elections in that federation. Th e Presidential election in Judo was upheld. Th e committee ruled that bye election in the South west should take place. Petition by Alhaji Mohammed Sule of the cycling federation was dismissed as he failed to pay Appeals processing fees within 48 hours of making his appeal.
