June 24 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has refused to stop the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) holding elections in August by a high-level delegation, including the country’s Sports Minister Isa Bio and former Super Eagles captain Jay-Jay Okocha, who claim that the govering body is corrupt.
Bio and Okocha were accompanied by Patrick Ekeji, director of sports at the National Sports Commission, and Buba Marwa, Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, at the talks held in Johannesburg.
But Blatter informed the delegation that reports of corruption cannot be dealt with by FIFA, and advised them to take the matter, complete with proof, to the relevant Nigerian Government agencies.
Bio and his party were informed that as long as the dates for the elections conformed to the guidelines as laid out in the Statutes, FIFA could not interfere.
An electoral committee, headed by barrister Abdul Hakkem Mustapha, had announced earlier this week that no extension would be given to potential candidates which means that current NFF President, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi will stand unopposed at the election.
Mustapha claimed that the NFF had followed FIFA guidelines when organising the election.