By Editor
Although it is still about two years to the next electoral congress into the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), animosity among the political gladiators is reaching feverish level as the current boss of the NFF, Mr. Amaju Pinnick has anointed second Vice-President Shehu Dikko as his successor.
Pinnick has ruled himself out of the race as he insisted he would not be seeking a third term even though the NFF Statutes permit him to do and that he will want to face his other businesses squarely.
The former Confederation of African Football (CAF) First Vice president’s decision to endorse and work for the emergence of Dikko has pitched him against some influential figures within the football circles.
NewTelegraph reliably gathered that the decision to install the Chairman of the League Management Company, (LMC) has been viewed by football pundits within the NFF Congress and Executive Committee as a unilateral one taken by Pinnick and a gross injustice to other members who are also the eyeing the seat.
Saturday Telegraph learnt that club owner and Technical Committee Chairman, Ahmed Yusuf Fresh and Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, are also nursing the ambition of becoming the NFF boss, a development that fuelled the renewed battle between the oil mogul and the NFF hierarchy.
Our findings into the issues regarding the elections into Anambra, Delta, and the Taraba States FAs were just a ploy to weed out members of Congress who could jeopardize their 2022 plans.
A source, who is a top staff of the NFF, told Newtelegraph that: “Two years is not a long time in politics and I can tell you that some of the current crisis in football is associated with the next election. “Pinnick is keen on installing Dikko as his successor and this decision has caused a lot of animosity among members of the Congress.
“If you notice, the two top guns have been working more closely than anyone in the federation; you can also observe that Dikko, in the last two years, has been more involved with the operations of the NFF than the even the First Vice President and Nigeria Professional Football League that he heads.
“All of these are pointing to the fact that he is being groomed for the plum job since Pinnick is not contesting. “There have been some individuals who have also shown interest and some of them are Fresh and Ubah. The plan is to edge these people out of the Congress since no one outside of the congress can contest for the NFF presidency.”
The former Chairman AFCON Organizing Committee and the Senator representing Amambra South Senatorial District were allies before they had issues during the NFF president’s removal as the CAF First Vice President.
