Basketballghana.com can report in lieu of the ongoing impasse between the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) and Nigeria’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, the NBBF elections will go on as planned contrary to the Ministry’s stance to suspend the elections indefinitely. (Click highlighted text to read story)
The latest development comes on the back of NBBF Chairman Musa Kida’s strong worded statement in response to the Ministry’s Press Statement that was issued earlier this week. The elections had been agreed to be held on Saturday, October 30 in Benin City in Edo State prior to the Ministry’s statement.
The Federation’s statement is captured below:
“Attention of the NBBF is drawn to an unsigned press release credited to the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, on several Social Media, dated October 24, 2021, stating that the NBBF Elective Congress slated for Benin City, Edo State, on October 30, 2021, as approved by the NBBF Extraordinary Congress of October 9, 2021, in Abuja, which was in line with the provisions of the 2019 NBBF approved Statutes, has been postponed indefinitely.
“This purported postponement is without any legal basis and indeed an usurpation of the powers of the NBBF Congress as enshrined in the NBBF Statutes. It is also repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience and amounts to an arbitrary use of power, after the ministry has confirmed on several occasions to the existence of our constitution and the supremacy of the NBBF congress to conduct its affairs as dictated by the NBBF constitution.
“We make the above statement affirming that after 2017, from the FIBA fact finding team’s visit to Nigeria in 2018, FIBA, supported by pronouncements by the Nigerian courts, had put to rest, who is the recognised president of the NBBF.
“The postponement of a duly approved elective congress under the guise of a nonexistent leadership tussle is, therefore, meant to mislead all concerned to justify this ultra vires act.”
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
