The June 13 sports federations’ elections
were marred by brazen fraud and manipulations orchestrated by three
aides of Barr. Solomon Dalung, the Minister of Sports. OLUKAYODE THOMAS,
an aspirant for the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, who
was unjustly disqualified is therefore calling on higher authorities to
compel the Minister to investigate the atrocities, if at least to
absolve himself of complicity.
Serving on the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN)
between 2013 and 2017 greatly taught me the virtue of patience and
restraint but on June 13, 2017 at the National Stadium, Abuja, venue of
the National Sports Federations Election; I had to call a spade a spade.
Despite battling screening and eligibility issues till the wee hours
of the morning before being cleared to contest, I arrived at the stadium
early and started distributing my campaign leaflets, which detailed how
I intend to get Nigeria’s track and field back on track, to the
delegates.
I had garnered amazing support based on my campaign mission that the
tripod of education, entertainment and sports offers and enduring
platform for youth and economic development.
Then, a friend drew my attention to the list of candidates that were
qualified to and disqualified from contesting the AFN election.
I found my name, Olukayode Thomas, listed among those disqualified
for not having a constituency. If my disqualification was shocking, more
shocking was the name of Gloria Obajimi on the list of delegates
qualified to vote.
Obajimi, a highly respected sports administrator, and lecturer, is
the President of National Association of Women in Sports (NAWIS).
NAWIS has a representative on the board of each of the federations.
The representatives were elected in an election supervised by the
Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development weeks earlier. At the
time of the election, Obajimi was in the United States.
Rosa Collins, a co-contestant for the office of the President of
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) won the election to represent
NAWIS on the board of AFN. I could not hide my disgust and there and
then I told Obajimi off for usurping the seat of one of her members.
‘Sister, I can’t believe you could be part of this fraud. We look up
to you as a role model and someone to emulate, you are the President of
NAWIS, yet you want to usurp the seat of one your members, a junior one
at that. This is not dignifying at all ma’, I told her.
NOT JUST NAWIS, IT WAS EVERYWHERE
Collins
and I were not the only victims of the fraudulent manipulations
perpetuated by three aides of the Minister of Sports led by Namsel
Nimyel at Nicon Luxury Hotel between 2am and 3am on June 13. The two
conspirators others are Abdullah Muhammad, the president of Traditional
Sports and Archery and a Senior Officer from the Youth Section of the
Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
Brown Ebewele who had won the election to be the representative of
Coaches and Technical Officials was dropped by the trio. Henry Amike who
was second runner-up in the election was not on the list as
replacement, neither was Femi Emmanuel who came third.
Ebewele’s replacement was Gad Onamuegbu, an Abuja based coach who did
not even participate in the Coaches and Technical Officials’ election.
The inclusion of Hamed Adio, a colleague of Nimyel at Nigerian
Television Authority (NTA) as representative of Philanthropist,
Ex-Official member or Sponsor category on the AFN board could only be
explained these three aides; hence, my call for investigation into their
roles during the elections.
Immediately the electoral guideline was released, SolidWorks Nigeria
Limited, the most prominent sponsor and philanthropist in athletics in
the last ten years in Nigeria and for about two decades in Delta State,
had been issued a letter as the representative of this category on the
board of AFN. SolidWorks therefore ought to nominate the representative
of this crucial category on the AFN board.
But Adio, though a good athlete in his days and a member of the board
of AFN over 15 years ago, does not qualify either as a Sponsor or
Philanthropist. He has no history or record of being either, and if the
definition of Ex-Offico member is anything to go by (An ex officio
member is a member of a body (a board, committee, council, etc.) who is
part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term is Latin,
meaning literally "from the office", and the sense intended is "by right
of office"; its use dates back to the Roman Republic) Adio does not
qualify. He was nowhere near athletics in the last ten years at state or
national level. He is not a member of any board, committee or council
in athletics.
So how did Adio become the representative of Philanthropists or an
Ex-officio member or Sponsor on the board of AFN? It was part of the
grand agenda by Nimyel to disenfranchise some people and perpetuate
electoral fraud.
Nimyel has questions to answer: if Adio being on
the board was above board, why was his name not announced weeks before
the election? If the Ministry of Sports does not want SolidWorks to
present a representative for this category, why not call for election of
the representative of the category so that Adio can contest and see if
stakeholders in that category would want him to represent them on the
AFN board, just as was done for Institutional Representatives,
NAPHER/SD, NAWIS and other categories?
The decision to allow the ‘election’ of athlete representatives to stand was in clear violation of the election guideline.
The electoral guideline states that ‘an athlete representative shall
in addition be an active athlete or have retired not more than four
years prior to the election. Such athlete must have also represented
Nigeria in at least two major international competitions and with no
drug related infraction’.
The winner of the election retired from athletics more than four
years ago. Secondly, there is no record of his participation in two
major international competitions.
WAVES OF DISQUALIFICATION
The
supposed winner of AFN President Election, Ibrahim Gusau, rode on waves
of unjust and mysterious disqualifications, beginning with the zonal
elections in the Northern Zones.
In the North West, Gusau from Zamfara State, the obvious beneficiary
of the manipulations of Nimyel and others, had Charles Yaok from Kaduna
State to contend with.
To ensure Gusau had no opposition from the zone, the electoral
officers told Yaok to go and bring his evidence of tax clearance and
before he returned, Gusau had been elected unopposed as the Zonal
Representative.
In the North East, Fidelis Gadzama was up against Haruna Bako. While
Bako was disqualified because he did not present a tax clearance,
Gadzama was cleared to contest, without presenting tax clearance.
A Prison Officer, Gadzama, had been granted leave of absence from
work by the Nigerian Prisons Service from May 2, 2013 to May 21, 2020,
based on the letter he wrote to the Prisons management in which he
claimed that the AFN had chosen him to scout for athletes for Nigeria at
home and abroad.
He is based in the United Kingdom. He served on the last board of
AFN, while away from Nigeria. Gadzama called himself board member on
paper. How he was cleared to contest and Bako who lives and works in
Nigeria was disqualified, remains a mystery that Nigerian authorities
should compel Nimyel to explain.
Even after Hawa Kulu-Akinyemi, the director of Federations and Elite
Athletes, granted all aspirants waiver to contest and produce their tax
clearance before inauguration on July 13, 2017, Nimyel and group ensured
Bako and Yaok were not allowed to contest to pave way for Gusau and
Gadzama to be elected unopposed.
In North Central, Titus Ayodele, a civil servant, was also
disqualified because of tax clearance but was cleared even he quickly
rushed to his office in Abuja to get photocopies of his tax clearance.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES
The
Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, on several occasions, made it clear
that the office of the President and Vice President of Federations is
open to all aspirants with strong pedigree in the sports and that they
will be elected by the Electoral College.
There were also insinuations that it will be used to disqualify some
aspirants. Determined not to fall prey, I approached the former
President of AFN, Evang. Solomon Ogba, to be SolidWork’s representative
on the AFN board, since the company had been appointed by the Ministry
to produce the representative for the Philanthropist category. He agreed
and as the director of the company, he made me the representative of
SolidWorks instead of Malik Ogba who had earlier
indicated interest.
A day before the election, there were rumours that some ministerial
aides were determined to disqualify independent candidates seen as
opponents of their preferred candidates but the Minister at a press
briefing during the inauguration of the Electoral Committee Members
dismissed the rumour.
Then at about 6pm, the rumour resurfaced. My campaign manager and I
met with all the relevant authorities and I was cleared for the
election. The meeting lasted till 11.30pm.
On Election Day, Nimyel and gang told the electoral chairman that the Minister said all independent candidates are disqualified.
Even when it was brought to his attention that the Minister
had announced on the social media and radio that all aspirants who
had filled the form would be allowed to contest, Nimyel looked at me
and told me clearly that I cannot contest and that he is acting on
the instruction of the Minister.
I was also disqualified from contesting as the representative of Sponsor/Philanthropist and Ex-Officio Member.
The slot earlier given to SolidWork was transferred to Adio, I was
also not allowed to contest as an independent candidate, yet in the same
election and at the same venue, Mary Onyali contested as an independent
candidate and was voted for by the Electoral College.
The irregularities and fraud were met with resistance and protest
leading to assaults. While some of us were civil and decided there and
then to protest to higher authorities, some took the law into their
hands.
Coach Gad Onumegbu who usurped Ebewele on the board physically
assaulted former 400m runner Charity Opara while Rosa Collins and Brown
Ebewele were also manhandled.
OBSERVATION OF CREDIBLE SPORTS PERSONALITIES
For
the former Vice President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Alhaji
Ibrahim Galadima, the conduct of the elections with “the whole drama of
intrigues and manipulation of the election process will create confusion
in sports. Dalung has run sports down and there is no likelihood that
it will improve under his tenure.”
Former National Sports Commission Director-General, Mallam Al Hassan
Yakmut, revealed that voting delegates were openly bribed with money.
“A whole lot of money exchanged hands. It was for the highest bidder
and those of us who have no money to spend lost out.”
Senator Abdul Ningi said “This is the last time we will allow the
Ministry of Sport to conduct election for us. We have discovered that
they are very ungrateful people. These manipulators do not have anything
good to offer sports; they don’t have passion for sports. I suspected
foul play by the minister and I was warned beforehand by some
stakeholders,” former President Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, George
Ashiru said.
“The election was not free, not fair and not credible as everything
was done in secrecy. They nominated people with most delegates not
knowing how the process was conducted. The minister said everything
should be done by election but nomination was done. Behind our back,
none of us were aware when the Sponsor was replaced.”
OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS:
Weeks
before the election, The Minister promised a level playing field for
all contestants but the reverse was the case. His aides who claimed to
be acting at his behest made life hellish for many aspirants.
The Guideline, the bible for the election, was altered on several
occasions The Minister’s aides, Nimyel and group, romanced some
contestants especially in athletics and what happened on Election Day
confirmed the fears of many.
The Minister has set up a panel where those with protests could
appeal to. Many do not have confidence in the panel because past appeals
where ignored.
A case in point is the AFN athletes’ representative. An appeal
against his choice was ignored and he was a delegate at the election
despite not satisfying the requirement to be an athlete’s
representative. If the directives of Nimyel, a ministerial aide could
supersede a Ministerial pronouncement as was the case with Mr. Dalung
that speaks volumes of his control of the Ministry.
I have been voting for President Buhari since 2003. Between 2014 and
2015, I was a volunteer for Buhari Campaign Group for seven months
because I firmly believed that Buhari’s Government will bring positive
Change but the story in sports has been contrary. The 2013 National
Sports Federation Election that I participated in under the government
of President Goodluck Jonathan was not only free and fair, as a
government nominee, I led the opposition against Evang.
Solomon Ogba,
who we perceived as the government’s candidate. The election was held
several times but I stood my ground. After the election I was neither
intimidated nor victimized.
Spin doctors in last few days have attempted to heap the blame of the
fraud and manipulations that characterized the election on the
directors in the Sports Ministry but by so doing, they have only made
the Minister looked weak and lacking in authority. The real culprits
that alter the master list were Nimyel and his two partners who claimed
they were acting on behalf of the Minister. In any normal organization,
sanctions to deter future violations of rules and directives are the
norm. Weeks after the election, none of his aides who altered the
delegate list have been queried or sanctioned by the Minister. From
this, we could infer that they were acting his script as they claimed.
The Minister is an activist; a disciple of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara,
Thomas Sankara and others. Would any of his mentors be comfortable with
the action of Nimyel and others under his watch? Most likely, the
answer is no. President Buhari was a victim of electoral fraud on many
occasions; would he have been proud of the last election and the fraud
that characterized it? Most probably, no.
MY PRAYERS
The
Minister must be compelled investigate the role Nimyel and others played
in the altering of delegate list, disqualification of candidates and
other electoral fraud perpetuated that day. They must also be sanctioned
to prove to the world that the Minister is not in support of their
action. Mere restoration of those denied their place is not enough.
Beneficiaries of the fraud must be disqualified from participating in
future election or a rerun. Cancellation of the AFN June 13, 2017
National Sports Federation
Election because of the widespread fraud and electoral
irregularities. Those who suffered financial, emotional and other losses
must be compensated. Public office is based on trust; some of the
Minister’s aides, led by Nimyel, have abused and raped this trust
several times in the last few weeks. I am appealing to higher
authorities to compel the Minister to investigate the role of Nimyel and
others in the irregularities and fraud that characterized the last
federal election and sanction them. Failure to do the above would mean
Nimyel and the others were acting the Minister’s script as claimed.
Yours Sincerely,
Olukayode Abimbola Thomas
An Aspirant for AFN President in the June 13, 2017 elections.
Bayo Oluwasanmi
