‘We are in a democratic era and not a gestapo administration’: Congress members tell AFN leadership

Some members of the Congress of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, have cried out against the unlawful and gestapo-like removal of Alhaji Shuaib Gara Gombe, the Chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association from the AFN Congress WhatsApp platform.

Gara Gombe had called out against the holding of the Annual General Congress of the Federation, which was held last weekend in Asaba without following the processes and procedures contained in the Constitution of the Federation (2017 and 2023) as amended.

The Gombe Athletics Association chairman made reference to article 10.1.5 of the Constitution, which makes it mandatory for documents relating to the Congress to be sent at least 30 days before the date of the Congress. Interestingly, the agenda for the meeting was also sent on the morning of the Congress in Asaba.

‘All the documents related to the Congress (reports, programmes proposal etc.) shall be sent to the Secretariat of each State member association at least thirty (30) days prior to the Congress,’ read article 10.1.5.

This was not complied it, and the leadership of the AFN decided to remove Gara Gombe from the platform, therefore shutting him out of vital information that could have helped in the administration of athletics in his state.

Many stakeholders see the action as a lack of respect for the supreme law making and decision-making organ of the AFN.

Some Congress members have described the action as not only undemocratic but also a demonstration of the high handedness of those at the helm of affairs of the AFN at the Executive Board level.

The members have demanded the reinstatement of Gara Gombe as only the AFN Executive Board or the Congress itself have the power to remove any person, state associations or others, and there is also a procedure to do this.

‘In a democratic dispensation, every member is entitled to express his opinion, which might be either positive or negative. It is left for the leadership to accept the observations or otherwise.

‘I personally and on behalf of other honourable members call for ‘adding back’ of any member removed from the group, please,’ wrote a Congress member on the WhatsApp platform.

Another member wrote against the militarization of the AFN and warns power drunk individuals to have a rethink.

‘He (Gara Gombe) is a member on the basis of being the chairman of his state athletics body.

‘Removing him for expressing his view is highly condemnable. I already privately chatted whoever did that to reinstate him but has refused to do so. This is not a military era,’ wrote the member.

Other members told Sportsnow.com.ng that they have compiled the various infractions against the AFN Constitution perpetrated by the leadership of the AFN board and will make it known to all Nigerians via an advertorial in major Nigerian newspapers.

‘We want Nigerians to know the quality of people running our AFN and why we have become the joke of the year, getting queried by the Athletics Integrity Unit over the ages of some of our athletes and bungling Favour Ofili’s registration for the 100m event of the Paris 2024 Olympics among other negative exposures,’ said one of the members who spoke to our correspondent in several chats.