Oyedeji Wants NBBF Election Cancelled, Calls for New Vote

Former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji has asked the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Electoral Appeals Committee to cancel the recent board elections. He wants a new election due to alleged constitutional violations and problems during the voting process.

In a letter to the committee led by lawyer Emmanuel Okibe, Oyedeji raised concerns about the electoral process. He pointed out that he was initially left out of the candidate list, eight board members were expelled, and there were issues with the accreditation of delegates.

He also questioned how Mustapha Abdullahi became NBBF president and Babatunde Ogunade became the South-West representative. He claimed that irregularities affected their election.

Oyedeji stated that his appeal is not just about the election results or his personal goals. He said it is about protecting the federation’s constitution and ensuring proper basketball administration in Nigeria.

Abdullahi, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, won the presidency with 40 votes. He defeated Oyedeji, who got eight votes, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Former Nigerian international Ejike Ugboaja received no votes. Another candidate, Igoche Mark, withdrew from the race a day before the election. He raised doubts about the credibility of the process.

Ugboaja left the venue after voting started, claiming the election was hijacked to favour Abdullahi. The election continued despite protests from some candidates and a pending court case questioning the legality of the NBBF electoral process.

In his appeal, Oyedeji said being excluded from the candidate list for the South-West representative position put him at a disadvantage, even though he met the requirements. He argued that his later inclusion, after the electoral committee led by Lanre Glover publicized his exclusion, went against the NBBF constitution and electoral rules.

Oyedeji also criticized the Musa Kida-led NBBF board for expelling eight board members. He called this decision unconstitutional. He said their removal stopped elected members from taking part in the processes leading to the Extraordinary Congress and Elective Congress, which weakened the legitimacy of the events.

The former captain also accused the previous NBBF president and secretary of bypassing the electoral process. He raised issues about removing state basketball association chairmen and accrediting people who did not meet the eligibility criteria in the federation’s constitution.

These claims are part of wider complaints about the election. In a petition dated 12 October, Mark, Oyedeji, and Ugboaja asked President Bola Tinubu to direct the National Sports Commission (NSC) to stop the election and investigate the alleged breaches of the NBBF constitution.

They alleged that the NSC removed and replaced over 15 chairmen and representatives of state basketball associations right before the election. The claims have not been verified independently. Kida and Abdullahi have not responded to the earlier petition.

The election took place while a Federal High Court in Abuja was reviewing a case against the NBBF elective congress. The court postponed the case until 3 November.

The suit was brought by former D’Tigers coach Ayodele Bakare against the NBBF and the NSC. Bakare was disqualified from running for president after submitting his nomination forms late. He is challenging the validity of the Extraordinary Congress held in Yola, Adamawa State.

The election also happened under a directive from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) that the NBBF complete its board elections by 15 October. NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko urged candidates and basketball officials to put their differences aside after the election and work together.

“Today is the day to show that we are for basketball. Whatever it is, let’s put the ball to a stop here and see how we can move forward together as one family,” Dikko said.

Oyedeji is pushing to cancel the election and hold a new one, arguing that the issues must be addressed to protect the NBBF constitution and rebuild trust in the federation’s electoral process.