Kano NBBF election illegal – Sports Ministry

The Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports on Monday in Abuja said the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elections held in Kano same day was illegal.

Nneka Ikem-Anibeze, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Solomon Dalung, in Abuja said the elections were held by a faction of the Federation’s stakeholders.

Ikem-Anibeze said the NBBF elections held in Kano were conducted by a faction led by the immediate-past president of the Federation, Tijani Umar, and was as such illegal.

She said this was because the elections in Kano had no backing of the Ministry.

“The NBBF will hold elections on Tuesday, alongside 31 other sports federations in Abuja,” the minister’s aide said.

The elections saw Umar, the North-East representative, emerging as President, while Olumide Oyedeji, FIBA World Representative, emerged as Vice-President.

The June 12 elections in Kano came ahead of the one being organised by the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports in Abuja.

The ministry had fixed Tuesday for elections into all boards of the national sports federations in the country, with all the federations expected to comply.

But a disagreement had emerged over the issue of whether or not the ministry has the right to draw up guidelines for the federations.

The federations are, according to international sports federations’ standards, to be run by constitution/statutes/guidelines duly agreed to by all stakeholders in the federation.

NBBF had earlier insisted it would conduct its elections based on the guideline prescribed by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the basketball world governing body.