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…Stakeholders are calling for the protection of candidates’ rights, electoral integrity and the autonomy of football in Nigeria.
*By Sunday Agunbiade (Mr VAR)*
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has been urged to ensure that the electoral process of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) resumes and proceeds to its logical conclusion upon the expiry of the mandate of the Normalization Committee, subject to the directives of FIFA and the applicable NFF Statutes and the Electoral Code.
The appeal is based on the need to protect the integrity of football administration in Nigeria, preserve the legitimate procedural interests of potential candidates and ensure that the country’s football governing body is not subject to undue influence by political or governmental authorities.
Football stakeholders have expressed concern that the intervention of a normalization committee, while potentially necessary to resolve an institutional crisis, should not become a means to indefinitely postpone democratic elections or create opportunities for stakeholders to participate in an electoral race outside established procedures.
They therefore call on FIFA to provide clear guidelines on the next steps, establish a precise timetable for completing the electoral process and ensure that every decision is guided by fairness, transparency and applicable football statutes.
A central issue requiring FIFA’s attention is the status of persons who have obtained, completed and submitted nomination forms according to the election calendar previously announced by the NFF Election Committee.
The 2026 election roadmap released by the NFF set out a schedule for the sale and submission of forms, screening, appeals and the publication of the final list of authorized candidates. The federation also announced that its electoral committee is responsible for overseeing the process in accordance with the NFF statutes and electoral code.
The roadmap and establishment of the election committees were publicly communicated by the NFF in July and April 2026 respectively.
Stakeholders therefore argue that any decision on the next electoral calendar should give due consideration to candidates who responded to the official notice, obtained the required forms and submitted their documentation within the set deadline.
FIFA should ensure that elections are not opened indiscriminately to individuals who did not participate in the original process, unless a new legal and appropriately authorized electoral process is formally established.
Where the existing process remains legally valid and is simply suspended, the preferable solution should be to resume it at the appropriate stage, preserving valid nominations, completed screening procedures and other legal measures already undertaken.
However, if FIFA and the relevant NFF authorities determine that the previous process should be formally canceled and replaced, the applicable statutes and electoral regulations should govern the transition. No candidate should be arbitrarily excluded and no individual should receive preferential treatment outside the rules.
This position is not aimed at protecting particular personalities or denying qualified Nigerians the right to contest. Rather, it is about ensuring that the rules governing an election are applied consistently and that those who have complied with an officially published process are not unfairly disadvantaged by subsequent administrative decisions.
FIFA is respectfully requested to remind the National Sports Commission (NSC) and all relevant government institutions that their legitimate interest in the development of Nigerian sport must be exercised in a manner consistent with FIFA’s requirements for the autonomy of member associations.
Article 14(1)(i) of the FIFA Statutes requires member associations to manage their affairs independently and to ensure that their affairs are not influenced by third parties, in accordance with Article 19.
Article 19(1) reads:
“Each member association will manage its affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”
Furthermore, Article 19(2) provides that the bodies of a member association must be elected or appointed from within that association and that its statutes must provide for a democratic procedure ensuring complete independence of the election or appointment.
Article 19(3) states that bodies not elected or appointed in accordance with these requirements will not be recognized by FIFA.
These provisions establish an important principle: the administration of football must be conducted in accordance with the recognized statutes and democratic structures of the association, free from undue external influence.
Accordingly, FIFA should caution the NSC against using governmental authority, administrative directives, or other instruments of government to predetermine election results, arbitrarily alter eligibility conditions, or frustrate a process that FIFA has authorized to proceed.
This appeal does not suggest that government institutions have no legitimate role in public sports policy. It requires a clear distinction between legitimate political control and interference in the internal electoral affairs of a FIFA member association.
Article 14: Compliance with FIFA rules is mandatory
Article 14(1)(a) of the FIFA Statutes obliges member associations to fully comply with the statutes, regulations, directives and decisions of FIFA.
Article 14(2) further provides that breaches of the obligations contained in paragraph 1 may result in sanctions under the FIFA Statutes.
These provisions underline the importance of respecting decisions reached through the governance framework recognized by FIFA.
Accordingly, any agreement to transition from a normalization committee to an elected leadership of the NFF should be implemented in accordance with the terms of the committee’s mandate, the applicable NFF statutes and electoral code, and binding FIFA directives.
The expiration of a committee’s mandate should trigger a clear institutional and electoral plan rather than an indefinite period of uncertainty. If further time is indeed required, FIFA should clearly communicate the reasons, the scope of any extension or replacement agreement and the expected completion date.
Nigeria’s football administration requires institutional stability, credible leadership and trust in its governance structures.
Prolonged election uncertainty can undermine stakeholder confidence, complicate long-term planning, and create avoidable disagreements over the legitimacy of administrative decisions.
A transparent electoral process, on the other hand, offers qualified candidates the opportunity to present their programs, allows authorized delegates to make their choices, and gives the eventual leadership a more solid basis for fulfilling their responsibilities.
FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have an important role to play in helping Nigerian football resolve its governance challenges through a clear and rules-based process.
Their involvement should prioritize institutional independence, procedural fairness and a credible transition to elected leadership.
Our requests to FIFA
In light of these concerns, FIFA is respectfully requested to:
Issue a clear directive on the expiration of the mandate of the Normalization Committee, specifying next steps and a realistic timetable for returning the NFF to elected leadership.
Preserve valid procedural rights arising from the previous electoral process, including legally completed submissions and screening, where the original process remains in place.
Limit participation in the resumption of elections to candidates eligible to participate under applicable election rules, rather than allowing individuals who did not participate in the original process to join arbitrarily. If a new election is legally ordered, the eligibility and nomination requirements must be applied consistently according to the new calendar.
Warn the NSC against undue interference in the internal electoral affairs of the NFF through government instruments, administrative directives, or other measures that undermine the independence of the process.
Require transparency and accountability in every decision regarding candidate eligibility, election calendar, screening, appeals and transition from the Normalization Committee.
Ensure that any continuation, extension or replacement of the Normalization Committee is governed by a clear mandate, agreed and communicated through the appropriate FIFA and CAF framework, with safeguards against conflicts of interest.
Facilitate a credible and timely return to elected leadership, in line with the NFF statutes, the applicable electoral code and FIFA governance requirements.
The future of Nigerian football must not be determined by administrative maneuvers, political preferences or the interests of individuals seeking advantage in the electoral process.
It must be determined by the applicable rules, by transparent procedures and by the freely expressed choice of authorized delegates.
FIFA is therefore called upon to protect the integrity of the NFF electoral process, to ensure that the expiration of the mandate of the Normalization Committee leads to a clear path to elected leadership and to prevent any party from using government authority to undermine the autonomy of Nigerian football.
The goal is not to favor any candidate. This is about ensuring that every candidate is treated by the same rules and that no one is allowed to circumvent an established electoral process through undue influence.
Nigerian football deserves credible elections, a rules-based transition and leadership whose legitimacy rests on a transparent democratic process. FIFA should ensure that these principles remain fundamental.
I submit so humbly
