Mustapha Abdullahi wins NBBF election, but Oyedeji appeals and wants a fresh poll

Nigerian basketball has a new man in charge, and an old argument. Mustapha Abdullahi, Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, was elected president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation in Abuja last week. Within days, the runner-up had appealed and asked for the whole election to be run again.

A contest that was disputed before it started

Premium Times reports that two candidates did not finish the race. Igoche Mark withdrew the day before, citing concerns about fairness. Ejike Ugboaja received no votes and walked out after voting began, alleging the process had been hijacked in favour of Abdullahi.

Before the vote, Mark, Oyedeji and Ugboaja had petitioned President Bola Tinubu to halt the election, accusing outgoing president Musa Kida of compromising the process and claiming more than 15 state association chairmen and representatives had been removed and replaced. Premium Times notes those allegations have not been independently established, and that Kida and Abdullahi had not responded to them.

The appeal

On 19 October, Oyedeji asked the NBBF Electoral Appeals Committee, chaired by lawyer Emmanuel Okibe, to nullify the result and order a fresh poll. His grounds include his initial exclusion from the list of candidates, the expulsion of eight board members by the previous board, the removal of state association chairmen and the accreditation of delegates he says were not eligible.

There is also a case in court. Former D'Tigers coach Ayodele Bakare, who was disqualified for submitting his nomination after the deadline, has sued the NBBF and the National Sports Commission over the extraordinary congress held in Yola. The Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned it to 3 November.

Why it matters on the court

Nigerian basketball's problems off the court have a habit of reaching the players. D'Tigress have dealt with funding and administration rows for years, even while winning in Africa, as we covered in our piece on the D'Tigress rebuild after Berlin. Whoever runs the federation, the teams need stability. The appeal and the court date in November will decide how quickly they get it.