Presidential elections for several national sports federations are taking place today at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja under the supervision of the National Sports Commission, which has pledged to ensure transparency and fairness in the process.
According to The PUNCH, the elections come after weeks of controversies that led to NSC interventions across multiple federations to uphold due process and restore credibility to the selection process.
In the Nigeria Tennis Federation, former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei, is widely expected to emerge as president. Ochei, who was nominated by the NSC as the Sponsorship and Philanthropy Representative on the board, reportedly accepted to contest following strong appeals from stakeholders.
A stakeholder representative, Caleb Tsav, praised Ochei’s longstanding commitment to sports development, noting that he had “faithfully and diligently committed about N200 million to sponsoring the yearly Davnotch Open Tennis Championship between 2021 and 2025.”
Tsav added, “Ochei’s passion for tennis and grassroots sports is unquestionable. He has consistently supported tennis and football through sponsorships and infrastructure development, including constructing the Donald Ochei Mini-Stadium in Onicha-Olona, Delta State.”
In the Kickboxing Federation, Air Vice Marshal Batnan Frama, a former Director of Sports at the Defence Headquarters, has been cleared to contest for the presidency. GM Nelson Oluigbo, who recently won the South-West Representative seat, is vying for the position of vice president.
Earlier in September, board member elections were held in the federation, with Emmanuel Atagana emerging as Technical Representative after polling 23 votes to defeat Kevin Onyika, who got 11 votes. In the Athlete Representative category, Jibrin Inuwa Baba secured 22 votes against Olakunle Awoyele’s 11 votes.
Meanwhile, the Gymnastics Federation election has also drawn attention. Presidential hopeful Omowunmi Olalere has called on the NSC to ensure fairness, inclusiveness, and adherence to due process. She emphasized that transparency was key to restoring confidence among stakeholders.
Olalere, who earlier rejected an offer to serve as second vice-president, said, “Accepting an appointment without due process would compromise my integrity and disenfranchise stakeholders. The NSC clearly stated that zonal elections must hold, and we must stand by that principle.”
The fresh elections follow the nullification of the September polls, which saw incumbent president Kelvin Erhunmwunse returned unopposed a decision the NSC later voided for failing to comply with national sports governance standards.
In a related development, the President of the Nigeria Judo Federation, Dr. Musa Oshodi, commended the NSC and the Nigeria Olympic Committee for their intervention in resolving disputes within the Gymnastics Federation.
Oshodi lauded the “fair and transparent approach” adopted by the commission, adding that it “culminated in a just and acceptable resolution for all parties involved.”
He also apologized to NSC Director-General Hon. Bukola Olopade for any previous miscommunication involving the Judo Federation and expressed optimism that ongoing reforms would promote good governance across all sports federations in Nigeria.
The NSC has reiterated its commitment to overseeing credible electoral procedures in sports administration, having earlier suspended polls in the boxing and judo federations over concerns about irregularities and insufficient preparation for candidates.
