Ayodele Bakare, president of Comets Basketball Club and a former coach of Nigeria’s D’Tigers, says the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) must complete its elective congress no later than October 15, 2026.
Addressing the continuing dispute over the federation’s leadership, Bakare called on stakeholders to remove uncertainty around the vote and begin preparations immediately. He said his position was informed by official correspondence from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) concerning the tenure of the current NBBF board and the schedule for electing its successor.
Bakare argued that FIBA, as basketball’s international governing authority, must be taken seriously and that its instructions on the Nigerian crisis should neither be ignored nor given an overly flexible interpretation. At the same time, he criticised the organisation’s earlier interventions, claiming they helped Musa Kida become NBBF president and enabled the present board to remain in office beyond the limits set by the federation’s constitution.
Despite those objections, the former national team coach said FIBA’s most recent position had now established a clear transition timetable. He stated that the next NBBF elections would have to be completed by October 15, 2026, when the current board’s mandate officially expires. A new administration, he added, should take office the following day, October 16.
He also disclosed that arrangements had been put in place to protect the electoral process if the incumbent leadership tried to postpone or obstruct it. Among them is a Steering Committee, which Bakare described as the process’s “last line of defence”. He maintained that the existing NBBF Constitution must be used to conduct the election and should not be altered before voting takes place.
Bakare then turned to the divisions among those seeking to challenge the federation’s established leadership. He urged the various camps and presidential hopefuls to join forces in a single “Rainbow Coalition”, arguing that only a united opposition could mount a serious contest.
In his assessment, none of the aspirants would defeat the entrenched group he called the “Fabulous Five” if they continued to compete against one another and split the available support. Bakare accused that faction of effectively taking control of a board that was originally made up of 14 members and using its influence to shape the succession process.
He warned that personal ambitions could weaken the effort to produce a credible alternative. For now, he said, stakeholders should concentrate on organising and mobilising voters rather than debating how the federation would be governed after the election.
“The dates and the election format are not within our power to alter, so preparations must begin without delay,” Bakare said.
The Comets president also questioned whether some of the declared presidential contenders possessed the national reach, organisational network or stature required to win. While saying he could not identify the person who would eventually lead the NBBF, he insisted that he could readily name several current candidates who, in his view, would definitely not secure the presidency.
With the October 2026 deadline drawing closer, Bakare’s intervention reflects the increasingly intense struggle for control of Nigerian basketball and places greater pressure on opposition figures to consolidate their support and structures.
