There is anxiety in the football scene as aspirants vying for various positions in the fast-approaching Nigeria Football Federation elections slated for Benin City on September 30 wait on the electoral committee to release the list of eligible candidates after screening was conducted last week.
The screening of candidates which took place on Friday and Saturday September 9 and 10 saw some aspirants that have issues with their documentations called up for clarification.
According to investigation by our correspondent, not all the aspirants were called upon for screening as some, especially some of those that were considered duly eligible.
The electoral committee is expected to release the names of aspirants that scaled through the screening hurdle on Monday September 12 (today) while aggrieved individuals may file protests between Monday, September 12 and Thursday, September 15, with the hearing and determination of the appeals taking place on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 by 12 noon daily.
The most affected might be those aspiring to become the president of the federation as they have a lot of hurdles to cross to scale the eligibility hurdle for the election.
According to a portion of the NFF Statutes, 2010 edition, Article 13, Section 4 which states that: “Every candidate for the post of President must be nominated by his state FA of origin and endorsed by three (3) members of NFF from three (3) other geo-political zones.”
Similar situation applied to the other members of the executive board of the federation with theirs two (2) members of NFF from two (2) other geo-political zones.
Our correspondent also gathered that the names of all the aspirants were submitted to the office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) so as to present those with clean bill to afford future litigations.
With the resent crisis in the players union body, it is left to be seen the body that will also nominate some of the ex-internationals vying for the position of the president of the federation and other positions on the board.
The Electoral Committee is expected to release the final list of successful candidates for the elections on Monday, September 19, with campaigning beginning on Tuesday, September 20, and ending at midnight on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
