The Presidency and a former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, have criticised Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his claim that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation prevented him from greeting members of the national Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos.
Obi had alleged that the incident occurred at an airport on Monday while he was waiting to board a flight to Enugu.
According to him, he noticed the players preparing to leave after returning to Nigeria and asked his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out if he could greet the team.
He claimed, however, that NFF officials opposed the move and allegedly threatened that they would lose their jobs if they allowed him to approach the players.
Reacting to the allegation, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, accused opposition politicians of attempting to introduce partisan politics into national sporting activities.
Olusegun maintained that national teams represented every Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation, stressing that athletes should not be drawn into political activities.
He said established protocols were necessary to shield young athletes from political exploitation, commercial interests and unnecessary distractions while carrying out official assignments.
The presidential aide described Obi’s account as an attempt to portray routine administrative and security procedures as political persecution.
“To spin standard security and administrative protocols into a narrative of political victimisation is a disservice to the unity that sport is meant to foster in our country,” he said.
Olusegun also accused Obi of relying on unverified information to create a victim narrative, urging him to allow the players to concentrate on representing Nigeria.
Similarly, Ahmad, the National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response of the City Boy Movement, faulted Obi’s interpretation of the incident.
Ahmad argued that being denied access to the players did not necessarily suggest political persecution, noting that security and administrative considerations could have informed the decision.
“Protocol, security and administrative considerations must have been involved,” he said.
He urged Obi to exercise restraint and establish the facts before making public claims, adding that national interests should take precedence over individual and partisan considerations.
“A new Nigeria is possible, but not through perpetual political antagonism,” Ahmad added.
Obi had earlier described the alleged restriction as a new dimension of toxic politics, raising concerns over the circumstances surrounding the NFF officials’ reported decision.
However, the Nigeria Football Federation had yet to issue an official response to Obi’s allegation as of the time of filing this report.
