Bomb threats and court orders force postponement of Nigerian FA elections

September 16 - Nigerian football is plunged into a new crisis with elections on September 30 to replace the outgoing board, whose embattled Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick, was put in office. waiting.

A High Court order ordered that the elective congress scheduled for that day be postponed on a line regarding the equal representation of the five statutory bodies comprising the NFF in terms of voting rights. The court adjourned further proceedings until October 31.

Pinnick, one of the most colorful and controversial figures in African football, announced last month that he would not stand for a third term.

In power in the NFF since 2014, Pinnick, a strong ally of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has hardly been a beacon of good governance, having often been accused of corruption, despite being a member of the all-powerful FIFA Council.

More than 40 candidates have apparently been cleared to compete for the various positions on the new NFF Board of Directors, including 11 to replace Pinnick, and two others disqualified.

Harrison Jalla of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) reportedly said in a press release that by choosing September 30 for its elective congress, the NFF was initially trying to break the law as there was a lawsuit in progress against modifying the statutes of the FFN.

To make matters worse, a group calling itself the Nigeria Football Stakeholders had apparently threatened to bomb the election venue in Benin City if the scheduled elections were held.

The group reportedly said that due to "atrocities committed by the current board of directors (NFF)", the election should be "halted until all reforms are implemented".

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The group further threatened that "blood will flow" if their demand is not met.

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