By George Aluo

Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung says he would ensure that the election into the nation’s sports federations billed for next week in Abuja is free and fair.

Going by the election timetable stakeholders would next week, June 13, storm Abuja to elect board members into the various sports federations. Presidents and Vice Presidents of the federations would also emerge at the Abuja poll.

Dalung who spoke exclusively to Daily Sunsports said he has no other interest than to see the sports federations being run by genuine stakeholders who were democratically elected.

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“Ordinarily, I would have done what was obtainable in the past and that is populating the various boards with government nominees all of whom I would have appointed. But I resolved not to do that in the interest of our sports. This is why I have not picked anybody to say go and take over any sports federation. We came up with an electoral guideline that has made it a level playing field for everybody and I m determined to see the process through,” Dalung said.

The minister insisted that it was important to democratize the nation’s sports as that was the only way to make it open for genuine stakeholders to come in and drive its growth.

Dalung said those against the electoral process are people who wanted to hang on to power in some sports federations at all cost at the detriment of the nation’s sports development.

“As the nation’s number one games master, I won’t allow people to get away with things that are bone out of selfish interest. Nigeria’s interest must come first and this is why I pushed for the reforms we now have ahead of the election.”