AFN shuts out Athletes Representative from vying for highest position on the board!
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, has shut out the chances of the athletes’ representative on the board of the AFN from contesting for the highest position in the Federation after its illegal annulment of the free and fair elections that produced the cerebral Dr Henry Okorie held on the sidelines of the just concluded 22nd National Sports Festival in Ogun state.
The AFN, via a letter dated 28 May 2025 and signed by its Secretary General, Israel Inwang, voided the elections which saw the cerebral Dr Okorie returned for a second term after scoring the highest number of votes.
The AFN wrote that the athletes’ representative election ‘was conducted without authorization, supervision, or oversight from the Nigeria Athletes Commission (NAC), Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), and National Sports Commission (NSC).
The letter also says the election ‘represents a serious breach of established protocols and flagrant disregard for the hierarchical structure of sports administration in Nigeria, particularly showing disrespect to the NSC as the highest regulatory authority for sports in Nigeria.’
‘In line with the above, I am directed to inform you that the purported Athletes Representative election conducted without proper authorization is null and void,’ the letter to the Athletes Representative also read.
Bizarrely, the AFN Secretary General did not state on whose authority the letter was written as it is only the Electoral Committee set up by the Congress of the Federation that has the right to postpone or annul an election except the Congress is convened to annul it.
The new date of July 2025 when the Nigerian Track and Field Championships have been scheduled to hold means the Athletes Representative cannot aspire to lead the Federation since he or she will not be part of the national elective congress slated for June 12, the new Democracy Day in Nigeria.
Agbaje Salami, a constitutional lawyer says the fundamental human rights of the athletes representative has been infringed upon which is against the constitution of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
He further stated that even the AFN Constitution did not say give room for the violation of the fundamental human rights of any Nigerian in his or her bid to vie for the Presidency of the Federation.
Agbaje has thus advised the Athletes Body, Nigeria Athletes Commission, to first petition World Athletics over the flagrant violations of the AFN Constitution in the conduct of the elections into the board of the Federation and then go to court to enforce its fundamental human rights to vote and be voted when he has not contravened any aspect of the Guidelines for the elections.
