NBBF’s January 31st elective congress doubtful as Kida insists in Benin as venue

The crisis in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) seems not yet over as the immediate past president of the federation, Musa Kida, has declared that the body’s secretary-general has no right to change the venue from Benin to Abuja without permission from the congress.

In a letter addressed to the secretary, the Federation said the Reconciliatory Committee, set up by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, never recommended a change in venue, but only urged the ministry to earnestly resume the electoral process already started by the NBBF on October 9.

“Any notion of venue modification is at complete variance with the widely circulated terms of reference setting up the committee.

“As a secretary-general of the federation, and having followed the process, you should know that the NBBF election can only be held in line with the NBBF constitution as approved by FIBA and endorsed by the Ministry of Sports and the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC),” NBBF said.

Kida who dismissed Abuja as a safe haven due to documented incidents and security challenges during the technical and player representatives elections held last year, said the congress of October 9, 2021, held in Abuja, where 100 per cent attendance was recorded, approved the setting up of the Electoral and Appeals Committees for the elections and picked Benin, Edo State, for the elective congress of October 30, 2021, which, due to the request of the Ministry of Sports, was postponed just two days to the event.

According to Kida, with the 2019 NBBF Constitution only empowering the president of the federation to call for a congress, he has initiated the call for the elective congress on January 31, 2022, in Benin.

He said only bona fide delegates from existing attendance registers of the last two extraordinary meetings or NBBF’s duly notified representatives will be allowed to attend the elective congress.

Also speaking on the election, NBBF’s former vice president, Babs Ogunade, said the board’s secretary-general stepped above the rules by fixing another venue for the elective congress, adding that only the congress has the right to pick the venue.