Former Super Eagles player Waidi Akanni and five times Olympian, legendary table tennis star, Bose Kaffo have thrown their weight behind the PBAT-KOH 2027 Football Initiatives, which was unveiled in Lagos on Thursday.

The PBAT-KOH 2027 Contact and Mobilisation Sub-Committee on Sports, which is the initiator of the football event, is headed by the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission Lekan Fatodu.

The unveiling ceremony of the KOHmmunity Football Cup, held at Radisson Blu, Victoria Island, Lagos, was attended by people from all walks of life, including top sports personalities.

According to the Committee, the KOHmmunity Football Cup, a one-day football festival, which is slated for this November, will blend grassroots sports development with civic and political engagement ahead of the 2027 elections. The acronym represents President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) and Lagos State Deputy Governor/Governorship Aspirant Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (KOH).

Already, Waidi Akanni, a former chairman of Lagos Football Association has donated a giant trophy to be contested for by football players from all parts of Lagos.

“This is a great idea, and I am happy to be part of it,” Akanni told journalists at the unveiling ceremony on Thursday.

Speaking at the occasion, chairman of the PBAT-KOH 2027 Contact and Mobilisation Sub-Committee on Sports, Lekan Fatodu said: “This one-day football festival in Lagos is to blend grassroots sports development with civic and political engagement ahead of the 2027 elections. This tournament leverages the unifying power of football to drive civic engagement, youth participation, and community integration across Lagos.

Speaking further on objectives of the PBAT-KOH 2027 Football Cup, Fatodu said: “It is aimed at fusing grassroots sports with civic awareness. The initiative explicitly targets individuals aged 18 to 35, linking soccer engagement to voter participation. This is a vehicle to encourage youth to be actively involved in the coming election and this establish a decisive grassroots base for the ruling APC candidates ahead of 2027.”

On her part, five-time Olympian, Bose Kaffo, who is the secretary of the PBAT-KOH 2027 Contact and Mobilisation Sub-Committee on Sports, said one of the candinal objectives of the committee is to bring out the data on number of people in sports in Lagos State.

Kaffo, who competed in five Olympic Games from Barcelona 1992 to Beijing 2008, said: “This is the first time sports is playing an active role in electionary campagn, and I urge all aportsmen and women to be part of it.”

Some other top sports personalities, who attended the unveiling ceremony include the Chairman, Lagos Football Association, Gafar Liameed, and the Chief Executive Officer of Ikorodu City FC, Sanni Doherty.