The Anambra State Government on Wednesday urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to investigate Tuesday’s conduct of elections into the Anambra State Football Association (ASFA) board in Awka.
The state’s Commissioner for Sports, Uju Nwogu, told journalists in Awka the election was “an aberration’’.
Nwogu said information available to the government was that the election would hold on Wednesday and wondered why should then be done in secret a day earlier.
“In the first instance, the Anambra FA board election was scheduled for May 4, but we are surprised to hear that the exercise was conducted on May 3. That is an aberration and in defiance of standard election rules anywhere.
“In my own view, no election was held. Most of the candidates who were supposed to be part of that election were not notified.
“This borders on jurisdiction, because the committee cannot conduct election when it did not fully inform the participants. To make matters worse, it was conducted a day before the publicised date.
“Football is a public game and football elections should be done in the full glare of the public. But in this case, the venue was hidden, the day was hidden, and the entire process was shrouded in secrecy.
“The Anambra state government is therefore calling on the NFF to investigate the infractions surrounding that charade of an election and test it against standard rules.’’
The commissioner said NFF should listen to aggrieved stakeholders and save the teeming Anambra football community.
“The Anambra FA elections must be done in the proper way that will be acceptable to all,” she said.
It would be recalled that Ifeanyi Ubah, the proprietor of FC IfeanyiUbah had emerged Chairman of ASFA from the election which was held in the early hours of Tuesday.
When contacted, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Ephraim Chukwuemeka, said he had completed his task and left Anambra.
He said any aggrieved person or persons should go to the NFF Appeals Committee which had been set up for such complaints.(NAN)