TheCable

Sunday Dare, minister for youth and sports development, has sworn in Tony Okowa as the “duly elected” president of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

At the inauguration ceremony, which took place on Tuesday at the Moshood Abiola National stadium in Abuja, the minister also described the Okowa-led board as the “legitimate governing body” of the AFN.

The federation had on Monday held two separate elections that produced distinct sets of board members to run the activities of the federation.

In one elective congress that took place in Abuja, the Delta-born sports administrator won unopposed while Gazama Tafida was elected as the first vice president of the federation.

The federation also held another election in Kebbi in which Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau defeated Uche Muoma to emerge as president while Sunday Adeleye won the vice president slot.

Amid the lingering crisis bedevilling the leadership of the AFN since 2019, Dare confirmed Okowa’s victory in the federation’s two parallel elections, describing him as the “duly elected and recognised by the federal government of Nigeria.”

The sports minister also said that the election was held “in accordance with the 2017 constitution of your federation as recommended by both World Athletics and the Confederation of African Athletics.”

Dare added that it’s “illegal” for any sports federation to exist outside the umbrella of the ministry. 

“Having satisfied the requirements of over two-third membership, the Board as presently constituted can carry on with its operations whilst 2 other constituency’s representatives will join the Board and be sworn in later. This board must avoid the pitfalls of the past, follow your Constitution, carry Stakeholders along,” Dare said.

“This is indeed a new dawn for Track and Field in Nigeria as exemplified by the way you conducted your elections strictly in accordance with the 2017 constitution of your Federation as recommended by both World Athletics and the Confederation of African Athletics.

“You are the legitimate governing body for the Sports of Track and Field in Nigeria duly elected by the Congress of the AFN and recognized by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Like I said earlier, this is a new dawn for athletics and we shall duly inform your parent body, World Athletics pursuant to articles 7.5 and 9.1.(e) of the 2019 World Athletics Constitution that Chief Tonobok Okowa has been elected by the AFN Congress to lead as President is the recognized governing body for the Sport in Nigeria by the Nigerian Government.”