LATEST: Fresh Crisis Brews As AFN Faction Holds Elections

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The crisis rocking the Athletics Federation of Nigeria may not end soon, with the faction loyal to its vice president, Olamide George, set to hold a parallel election to elect members into the board of the federation, Saturday Anaedoonline.ng reports.

In the timetable for the elections signed by secretary-general of the George faction, Adisa Beyioku, which was seen by reporters, the elections will hold on June 14 in Abuja, same day the Ibrahim Gusau-led faction had earlier fixed theirs.

The timetable shows that the body would hold its extraordinary congress on June 8 in Abuja before releasing circulars to constituencies to conduct their elections the next day.

Aspirants for various elective positions have until June 13 to submit their nomination forms.

Beyioku, in the statement released with the timetable accused AFN president, Shehu Gusau, of failing to convene an extraordinary congress of the federation.

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“This became necessary following the refusal of Mr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau to transmit a letter to the Secretary-General to convene and prepare the programme for the extraordinary congress in accordance with articles 4, 6.1.4, 8.3.6 and 8.3.9 of the AFN constitution,” Beyioku said.

“The federation had reported Gusau’s violations of several articles of the AFN constitution and the terms of the agreement reached at the reconciliation meeting held in April by members of the executive board of the AFN, with two top officials of the Confederation of African Athletics, CAA. Both the CAA and WA have affirmed that they only recognise the 2017 constitution, which was adopted at the congress on November 16, 2017 with Mr Gusau presiding as the president of the federation.”

Anaedoonline.ng had earlier reported that the Gusau-led AFN had fixed their election for June 14 in Kebbi State.

The AFN and the supervisory sports ministry had been at loggerheads after a faction led by George suspended the president, Gusau, which forced the Gusau-led board to declare autonomy from the ministry at a congress in Awka, Anambra State in December 2019.

Gusau dragged the sports ministry to the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the court ruling July 1, 2020 that he remained the AFN president.

The Appeal Court also affirmed the High Court’s ruling, throwing out the sports ministry’s appeal for lacking merit on September 25, 2020.

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After meeting with both camps, World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics mandated the Gusau-led board to conduct elections not later than June 14.

Efforts to get the reaction of Siminialayi Pepple Director-General of the Gusau-led AFN proved abortive.

He didn’t pick our correspondent’s call and was yet to reply to the text message sent to his line as at the time of filing this report.

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