Nigeria Modern Pentathlon Federation election illegal, says Abioye

Secretary-General of Nigeria Modern Pentathlon (NMPF), Femi Abioye, has described Saturday’s election conducted inside the boardroom of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), National Stadium, Lagos, as illegal.

According to Abioye, the election was a deliberate attempt by former president, Jonathan Nnaji, to return to power, illegally.

Abioye argues that Nnaji was not qualified in the first place to contest in the election, having lost his status of international delegate when he lost election into the Confederation of Africa Pentathlon Modern (CAPM) on November 10, 2021.

“Nnaji was not qualified to contest, let alone return as president. He had earlier resigned from the board of the Nigeria Modern Pentathlon Federation to contest at the CAPM where he was beaten by Cote d’Ivoire’s Francois-Xavier Akonde. He had earlier resigned his membership of NMPF to contest to be on the board of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), where he also lost.

“He, therefore, had no platform to contest as president of the Nigeria Modern Pentathlon Federation. So, it’s a huge joke to hear that he won.

“How on earth can we accept a board that has Nnaji as president and just two vice presidents, no secretary, no treasurer and other key positions needed for a proper board. It’s an illegal election that can be called the joke of the year,” Abioye said.

Abioye said he has petitioned the NOC over the manipulations by Nnaji in getting an illegal third mandate and also  has appealed to the Federal Government, Africa Modern Pentathlon Federation and Union International du Pentathlon Modern (VIPM) to halt Nnaji’s desperation and greed to become sole administrator of NMPF.