The Nigeria Football Federation’s elective congress in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Sunday, 27 September is heading towards one of the most controversial elections in the federation’s recent history. While President Ibrahim Musa Gusau has secured endorsements from several geopolitical zones as he seeks another term, critics, former officials and a declared challenger say the process is opaque and may be designed to produce an inevitable outcome rather than a genuine contest.
Date Change Adds to Questions Over the Election
The vote was initially planned for Saturday, 26 September, before the NFF moved it back by one day at a virtual extraordinary general assembly. Gusau said the alteration was necessary because the Super Eagles are due to face Madagascar’s Barea in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday, 25 September.
He argued that candidates attending the match would find it “highly impossible” to travel to Lafia in time for a Saturday election. A member of Congress proposed the change, and the motion was supported without opposition.
That explanation has not resolved wider concerns about the calendar. Chris Green, the Rivers State Attorney General and a former two-term NFF board member, said the schedule was already crowded because the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has begun and the Super Eagles’ AFCON qualifying campaign will follow immediately afterwards.
Green said those commitments would create distractions, particularly because the Electoral Committee had not yet begun distributing nomination forms. He questioned whether the 26 September date could realistically be maintained once the forms were issued and the required procedures completed.
Reforms Approved, but Key Documents Remain Unpublished
The current electoral framework was established at an Extraordinary General Assembly in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on 23 March 2026. Congress unanimously approved revisions to the NFF Statutes, the Electoral Code and the Standing Orders of the General Assembly. The Executive Committee presented the amendments as measures intended to improve governance before this year’s election.
Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission, attended the Yenagoa meeting and described the changes as long overdue. He said the framework adopted in 2010 had become outdated and was no longer suitable for contemporary governance requirements.
The revised Electoral Code provides for 12 nominees, with two put forward by leaders in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and approved by Congress. Those nominees were assigned to an Electoral Committee and an Electoral Appeals Committee. The first body is responsible for arranging, conducting and supervising the election, while the second is tasked with considering complaints, petitions and appeals.
Barrister Matthew Burkala, SAN, was later confirmed as chairman of the Electoral Committee. The named members associated with the six zones are:
- North Central: Emmanuel Dada Obafemi;
- North East: Alhaji Babagoni Grema and Barrister Benjamin Sak;
- North West: Bature Musa and Professor Abdulmalik Awwal;
- South East: Hon. Justice C. J. Aneke and Arinze Azubuike Anughere, Esq.;
- South West: Hon. (Dr) Akogun Olugbenga Omole and Abayomi Akin Omoyimi, Esq.;
- South South: Ayibaye Peter Great Temedie, Esq., and Ayi Ekpo Ukpayam.
Both electoral bodies have now been formally inaugurated. However, more than four months after the Yenagoa assembly, neither the amended Statutes nor the revised Electoral Code has been made public. The documents do not appear on thenff.com or elsewhere, leaving the public with only confirmation that Congress approved them and a limited view of their practical consequences, including the composition of the committees.
Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Concepts has described the amendments as “cosmetic”. The group is calling for deeper changes to the make-up of Congress itself, a position it has linked to earlier judgments concerning NFF elections and which remains disputed.
The lack of an announced timetable has intensified the criticism. There is still no confirmed date for the sale of nomination forms and no published screening schedule. A former NFF board member, who spoke anonymously, questioned why the Electoral Committee appeared inactive while the federation concentrated on its national teams.
The former official rejected the idea that the election could simply become a coronation for those already in power. In his view, the committee should be working independently of the national teams, as it had done in the past. He recalled that during his tenure, candidates had been screened, forms submitted and the nomination process closed even while officials were away at a World Cup.
He also called for closer examination of the delay, pointing out that FIFA and CAF observers must attend the congress before the election can be regarded as valid.
“There has to be an election, with FIFA and CAF present to observe it,” he said. “If the date needs to be moved, the authorities must meet and agree on a new one. The problem is inexperience within Gusau’s team. Journalists should be asking why the Electoral Committee is not functioning, why there is no timetable and why forms are not being sold. They are following the Super Falcons when their priority should be electoral preparations.”
Two Challengers Raise Objections
Only two people have publicly indicated that they intend to challenge Gusau for the presidency as of this week. Neither has been able to enter the formal process because nomination forms have not yet gone on sale.
Solanke Promises a Different Football Direction
Segun Solanke, a sports administrator and entrepreneur, is associated with Abeokuta-based Olumo United as well as Lagos-based FC Provazios and Provazios Sports Academy. He said he had not bought a nomination form, but only because the NFF had not officially begun selling them.
Solanke dismissed the suggestion that moving the congress to 27 September represented an attempt to eliminate opposition. He said his resolve would not change even if the date were moved again, declaring that he would be present to contest whenever the election was held.
His campaign slogan is “One Vision, One Football, One Nigeria”. He has promised that Nigeria would not miss another FIFA World Cup during his tenure and argues that the sport requires purposeful leadership, detailed planning and an effective football structure.
Solanke believes World Cup qualification should be regarded as a basic requirement rather than celebrated as an exceptional success. His programme includes:
- a long-term development plan designed to remain in place beyond changes of administration;
- greater investment in the training and education of coaches;
- better welfare for players and football officials; and
- stronger cooperation with state football associations.
Asked whether Gusau’s four years in office had been sufficient to judge his leadership, Solanke avoided a personal attack. He said every administration could only do its best, but stressed that Nigeria’s failure to reach two successive World Cups was unacceptable. He added that he believed he could deliver more and was seeking the vote on that basis.
Jalla Conditions His Candidacy on a Fair Vote
Prince Harrison Jalla, chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reforms Initiative, has adopted a tougher position. He said he would gladly contest the presidency if the election were democratic, free, fair and credible, with all candidates given a genuinely level playing field.
Jalla said he would not take part in a process he considered predetermined or undemocratic. In his view, people with limited football knowledge and competence had continued to produce leaders whose decisions had contributed to the decline of Nigerian football.
He also connected the urgency surrounding the proposed September 2026 election with Nigeria’s broader World Cup predicament. The country could miss the 2030 FIFA World Cup for a third consecutive time, he said, making the rush to hold the election appear misplaced.
Jalla accused the federation of being deeply affected by corruption and systemic mismanagement. He further claimed that the NFF remained heavily dependent on Federal Government funding while invoking FIFA and CAF as protection against legitimate scrutiny.
Rather than participate in what he considers a flawed process, Jalla said he would continue campaigning from outside it. He pledged to remain involved in sustained advocacy, meaningful reform efforts and the wider struggle to address poor governance and institutional failure in Nigerian football.
Gusau Builds Support Across the Zones
While the challengers have focused on the process, Gusau’s route to a second term has so far encountered little formal opposition within the NFF structure. Chairmen of state football associations in several regions have publicly declared support for the incumbent before the Lafia congress.
- All six South-West state FA chairmen unanimously selected Gusau as their preferred candidate after a regional meeting.
- The North-West zone released a formal statement expressing strong support for his re-election.
- The South-East promised “full mobilisation and support” during a virtual meeting with NFF executives.
- Administrators in the North-Central zone and other areas cited what they described as leadership achievements and ongoing reforms while backing Gusau collectively.
Supporters of the president have specifically highlighted the amendments to the NFF statutes as proof that his administration is modernising the federation.
The National Sports Commission leadership has not publicly commented on either the endorsements or the criticism of the electoral arrangements. Its silence has been described by critics as dignified but conspicuous, particularly as Gusau has emerged in practical terms as the only candidate being treated as electable across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
With no date yet set for the sale of nomination forms and the amended Electoral Code still unavailable to the public, the six weeks before the Lafia congress could determine whether Solanke and Jalla’s complaints develop into a competitive presidential race. Otherwise, the 27 September vote may proceed in the form of the coronation feared by their critics.
