Uncertainty now beclouds the weightlifting event of the ongoing National Sports Festival following allegations that the President of the Weightlifting Federation of Nigeria, Chimdi Ejiogwu, has issued death threats against coaches and officials of the federation.
Emeka Godson Ajei, the newly-elected Chairman of the Weightlifting Coaches Association, said on Thursday that his life and those of other coaches are being threatened, while pointing accusing fingers at the NWF boss.
Speaking to sports journalists against this backdrop, on Thursday, Ajei also alleged that most of the stakeholders in the sport are being barred from the venue of the event, Brai Ayonatei Gymnasium.
The event is scheduled to to start on Friday morning.
The former African and Commonwealth Champion, while narrating his story, said the decision of the coaches to reject those he described as unqualified technical officials appointed by the NWF boss to officiate in weightlifting, has been his sin and the bone of contention.
Ajei said: “We came this morning (Thursday) to find some names listed by the president as technical officials meant to officiate in this event, but to us, these are names that do not in any way qualified to officiate in weightlifting.
“There are names from Lagos that the president wants to impose on us as being technical officials.
“We held an election and qualified officials were elected to officiate so where do the names the president is presenting coming from?
“We pointed this out but the president refused to listen instead he stormed the venue with thugs and policemen who chased us out of the venue.
“With what is happening now, the weightlifting event may not hold on Friday.”
Some of the states at the conference are Edo, Gombe, Kogi, Gigawa, Delta, Niger, Kwara, Kebbi, Osun, Katsina, Lagos, Bauchi, Borno and Zamfara.
Efforts to get reaction from the NWF boss proved abortive.