NFF Elects Amaju Pinnick New President

Former Chairman Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has been elected President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following Tuesday’s Elective Congress in Warri.

He succeeds Aminu Maigari and will occupy the position for the next four years. Pinnick will be saddled with the immediate responsibility of fashioning a way out of the deadlocked contract renewal talk between the NFF and Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi.

We are going to continue from where the last board stopped and improve on their results

… New NFF boss Amaju Pinnick.

Pinnick won a run-off election by 32 votes, defeating Benue States’ Dominic Iorfa (8 votes) and Taiwo Joseph Ogunjobi of Osun State (4 votes).

Former NFF Vice President, Mike Umeh, former National Sports Commission officer, Abba Yola, and Amanze Uchegbuulam had 0 votes.

Shehu Dikko of Kaduna State, previously cleared to participate in the NFF Presidential polls, was the only absentee. A change in guidelines- as announced by Chairman of the Electoral Committee Samson Ebomhe- prior to the start of voting ruled absent candidates invalid on the ballot and Dikko’s name was henceforth automatically withdrawn from the race.

Lagos State FA Chairman Seyi Akinwunmi was voted 1st Vice-President with 30 votes.

Musa Gusau returned unopposed as Chairman of Chairmen. Christopher Green is re-elected from the South-South zone into the NFF Executive Committee with 26 votes.

Suleiman Kwande, member House of Representatives from Plateau State and Ahmed ‘Fresh’ Yusuf were returned as the two NFF ExCo members from North Central Zone.

Otunba Dele Ajayi emerged as South West sole representative on the new ExCo board, defeating Leye Adepoju.

Hassan Modibo from Tarabaand Kachala Gana from Borno were elected to represent North East.

Kano FA Chairman Rabiu Inuwa emerged unopposed as the North West representative on the new NFF board after others pulled out of the race.

Enyimba Chairman Felix Anyansi-Agwu returned as South East representative to complete the new ExCo board of the football family. He emerged by 26 votes ahead of Okenwa Ofo (10 votes) and Igbokwe Leonard (4 votes).

As directed by world football’s governing body, Fifa, InformatioNigeria.com understands that ousted NFF chief Maigari oversaw the activities of the Elective Congress.

A motion for dissolution of the previous ExCo was immediately adopted and carried out before voting proper.

Electoral Committee Secretary Musa Amadu told delegates and participants that Fifa and Caf Obesrvers sent apologies for not been able to grace the occasion.

However, Chairmen House Committee on Sport, Godfrey Gaiya, and National Sports Commission (NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye were among dignitaries at the event which took place at a rescheduled venue: Golden Tulip Hotel.

The New NFF Executive Committee

President: Amaju Pinnick

1st Vice-President: Seyi Akinwunmi

Chairman of Chairmen: Musa Ibrahim Gusau

South South: Chris Green

North Central: Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’

South East: Felix Anyansi-Agwu

South West: Otunda Dele Ajayi

North West: Sharif Rabiu Inuwa

North East: Modibo Hassaini, Kachalla Baba Gana

(Materials from Colinudoh.com was used in this report)