Constitutional Rules Favour Fatimah Yusuf-Olukoju for AFN Second VP Role

Atlanta Olympics bronze medalist and former African 400m record holder, Fatimah Yusuf-Olukoju, may emerge as the next second vice president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Her possible elevation follows the vacancy created by Akuchukwu Aghazu’s resignation from the AFN board.

Under the federation’s constitution, one of the two vice presidential positions must be held by a woman.

With Yusuf-Olukoju currently the only female board member whose election through the NAWIS slot meets constitutional requirements, she stands as the automatic candidate unless another woman is named to replace Aku. In that case, Yusuf-Olukoju would be elected unopposed.

Other female figures co-opted to the board of the AFN, including former secretary-general Maria Worphil and journalist Nneka Anibeze, are not eligible under the constitution.

Worphil was co-opted by the National Sports Commission (NSC) and lacks voting rights, while Anibeze was irregularly co-opted by AFN president Tonobok Okowa, an action deemed unconstitutional as only the Federation’s Congress can co-opt.

The AFN constitution, amended in 2023, is explicit: elections for the president and two vice presidents must be conducted exclusively by the Congress.

Neither the board nor the NSC has the authority to appoint a woman directly to the second vice presidency.

This provision strengthens Yusuf-Olukoju’s position as the likely successor, ensuring that the federation maintains its constitutional balance of gender representation.