Delegates, including newly-elected board members of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), have started arriving in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, ahead of the much anticipated presidential election of the association.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is reporting that the AFN presidential election has suffered multiple setbacks and a shift in date and venue.
It is now scheduled to be held on Thursday in Abuja.
Initially scheduled for Asaba, Delta State on May 31, 2025, the poll was shifted to June 12, 2025 by the last Extraordinary Congress of the AFN in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
This was after the National Sports Commission (NSC) advised that the election be moved from Asaba to a neutral venue, Abuja, since at that time three of the four known presidential aspirants were from Delta State.
Following the advice, which was more of a directive from the NSC, one of the aspirants, a former Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, retired Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, strategically pulled out of the race.
Another aspirant, Constantine Ikpokpo, fondly called Malik, was comprehensively beaten in the South South Zone by Gabriel Okon in an election conducted by Braveman Wodi in Benin City, Edo State.
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Another person eyeing the prestigious and highly esteemed office of the president of AFN, Sunday Adeleye, is still struggling to get a slot into the new AFN board from the North West Zone.
His name will not likely be on the ballot on Thursday as the powerful Electoral Appeal Committee is yet to deliver judgement on his case.
This was after he lost the North West Zonal election to Ladan Zurmi from Zamfara State.
Another zonal election into the board of the AFN, which is far from being settled, is the South East representative with two candidates fighting for the sole ticket from the land of the rising sun.
It’s a massive battle before the Election Appeal Committee between the AFN Performance Director and a former athlete, Victor Okorie, who is seeking re-election into the board and another former athlete, Innocent Iheme.
Similarly, the election for the technical officials and coaches representative on the AFN Board, a contest between Solomon Aliyu and Lucas Ogunjimi, is yet to be concluded.
The first round of voting resulted in a 26-26 tie, and the second round also failed to produce a winner, finishing 11-11 in another deadlock.
NAN reports that with no clear winner, the contest now shifts to Abuja, where a final decision will be made on Wednesday.
The heated and controversial election of the National Association of Women in Sports (NAWIS) produced a former quarter-miler, Fatima Yusuf, as their representative on the new-look AFN board
Yusuf may also be vying for the position of second Vice President of the Federation.
However, the election into the AFN board may be challenged due to the eligibility of the winner.
Elections of athletes representative and a representative of the National Association Of Physical, Health Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance (NAPHER-SD) are yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, Tonobok Okowa, who is seeking re-election, is set to secure his second term as the AFN president.
Okowa is confident that the work, reforms, and programmes, which he and the current AFN board have put in place and are building on, would go a long way in helping him secure a second term.
Also, the Technical Director of the Federation, Samuel Onikeku, who has helped to drive AFN’s policies and programmes, won his election into the board again.
For the next four years, he is expected to build on the success story so far as well as accelerate other new initiatives of the athletes body.
As Technical Director, Onikeku is responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of AFN’s operations, including athletes development, coaching, and competitions.
NAN also reports that the new AFN board is dominated by former athletes as Olalekan Stephen Soetan, Gabriel Okon, Olufemi Sule, and Fatima Yusuf have secured their seats.
It is a scenario which athletics stakeholders consider as a welcome development for the federation.
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