Former D’Tigers’ Coach, Ayodele Bakare, believes that peace will soon return to the Nigerian basketball family when all issues are sorted out.

Bakare, who is the President of Comets Basketball Club, however, insist that justice is central to resolving the crisis surrounding the 2026 Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elections.

The coach, who was disqualified from contesting in the last NBBF presidential elections, said in a statement that reconciliation was achievable, potentially sooner than many anticipated, but warned against pursuing peace through arrangements that fail to address the underlying grievances.

“Will there ever be peace in Nigerian basketball? Will there ever be true reconciliation? Of course there will be! Perhaps even much sooner than you expect,” Bakare stated.

“That’s actually the core objective of some of us.”
He stressed, however, that lasting peace could not be achieved by overlooking alleged injustices or reaching temporary agreements that merely postponed the resolution of the issues.

According to Bakare, any settlement that fails to confront the root causes of the crisis risks creating further problems for the sport in the future.

He cautioned against what he described as a deceptive form of reconciliation, arguing that an agreement might appear attractive on the surface while concealing issues capable of undermining the unity it is intended to restore.

Bakare also commended members of the basketball community and the media for refusing to abandon the conversation surrounding the disputed electoral process, despite the challenges involved in sustaining public attention.

He noted that Nigeria often moves quickly from controversial issues to new distractions, expressing appreciation to those who have continued to demand answers and push for a resolution.

“They say that no matter how grave the injustice, Nigeria always seems to find a way to quickly move on to new distractions,” he said.

Bakare’s statement is one of the many have trailed the elections won by the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi.

Abdullahi won the election with 40 out of 48 votes in Abuja. But Abdullahi’s victory was challenged by Oyedeji, whi claimed that the election was marred by irregularities.

The elections appeals committee has since dismissed Oyedeji’s claims, affirming Abdullahi as NBBF president.