The 2021 Nigeria Basketball Federation Electoral Committee has insisted that the 2021 elections will still go on as earlier scheduled in the ancient city of Benin on October 30.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports had on Tuesday announced the stoppage of the election in a letter sent to the NBBF.
The Dr. Lanre Glover chaired committee said it was unaware of changes since the Ministry’s pronouncement dated September 30, 2021, which recognised the supremacy of the 2019 NBBF Constitution forming “the basis of the next elections and the resolution of any conflict that may emanate from it” as well as the power of the Congress
The committee said it was not aware of any constitutional change between then and now that could warrant or justify a volte-face on the holding of elections.
It said: “The Electoral Committee was set up by a duly constituted Congress of the NBBF and is responsible to that Congress, whose authority is supreme.”
To this end, the Committee under the former chairman of the International Handball Federation Electoral Committee has decided in its meeting held on October 26 that the elections will still go on as planned.
According to the letter signed by the Director of the Federation of Elite of Athletes Department, Dr. S. E. Ebhojiaye, the Nigeria Olympics Committee and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development can only supervise and not conduct the elections.
The letter, which was explicitly announced to supersede any other statement or position of the Ministry on the matter, said the NOC and FMYSD will be observers alongside FIBA, with the NBBF constitution reigning supreme.
Due to the confusion created by the announcement by the ministry, they have extended the submission date for nominations to noon of October 29, 2021.