Former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji has petitioned the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Electoral Appeals Committee to void the recent board election. According to Premium Times, the former international argued that the process suffered from constitutional breaches and procedural flaws. He specifically pointed to the handling of delegate accreditation and the removal of eight existing board members as central to his case. The appeal is directed at the panel led by lawyer Emmanuel Okibe.
Mustapha Abdullahi, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, secured the presidency with 40 votes. Oyedeji received eight votes in the contest held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. Premium Times reported that former international Ejike Ugboaja received no votes, while another candidate, Igoche Mark, withdrew before voting began. Ugboaja also left the venue after voting started, claiming the process was skewed toward Abdullahi.
Oyedeji’s appeal highlights his own journey into the race. He noted that the electoral committee, led by Lanre Glover, had initially excluded him from the South-West representative list. His later inclusion, after this exclusion was widely publicised, is viewed by him as a violation of the federation’s guidelines. He also challenged the decision by the Musa Kida-led board to expel eight members, arguing this prevented them from participating in the subsequent congresses.
The vote occurred while a Federal High Court in Abuja reviewed a lawsuit filed by former coach Ayodele Bakare. This suit questions the validity of the Extraordinary Congress held in Yola. The court has paused the case until 3 November. Additionally, the International Basketball Federation had instructed the NBBF to finish its board election by 15 October. In a separate petition dated 12 October, Oyedeji and two other candidates asked President Bola Tinubu to have the National Sports Commission investigate the process.
Shehu Dikko, the National Sports Commission chairman, has urged officials to move past their differences. “Today is the day to show that we are for basketball,” Dikko said. Oyedeji maintains that his goal is to protect the federation’s constitution and restore trust in the electoral system.