By Joe Apu
A new date for the election of Zonal Representatives, Vice Presidents and National Federations Presidents will hold same day in Abuja on May 30.
This is according to a release from the office of the minister of sports and signed by his special assistant on media, Nneka Anibeze following the amended guidelines released at the weekend and co- signed by the acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Abdulrasaq Salau and the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympics Committee Tunde Popoola. The statement specified that the National Federations have until April 27, 2017 to set up their electoral committees while the sale of nomination forms begins on May 2. Deadline for submission of forms is May 9, 2017.
Hearing of Petitions and Appeals Cases will hold from 1-10 June, 2017 while Bye- Elections arising from Petitions and Appeals for Zonal and National Elections come up on June 13, 2017.
Inauguration of the National Sports Federation Boards holds on 27 June, 2017.
Meanwhile, the Executive committee of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, had applauded Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung for his ‘’love, understanding and demonstration of Olympic Values’’ after agreeing to amend the guidelines for the 2017 Federation election guidelines.
A dark cloud of uncertainty had hovered over Nigerian sports after the Sports Ministry released Guidelines to the Federation Elections which the NOC said was at variance with Olympic Charter as well as with the International Federations(IFs).
Two contentious provisions: “the issue of eligibility as contained in the guidelines that did not conform with the Olympic Charter, that seeks to bar some Nigerians in the international federations from seeking office were expunged after the Minister met with NOC bigwigs and Federation Presidents on Friday.
NOC President and member of International Olympic Committee, Engr Habu Gumel said that he and his members were lost in admiration of Sports Minister’s great courage and moral values by dropping the contentious provisions that were not in line with the IOC and IFs statutes.
‘’All the stakeholders applaud the Sports Minister for his handling of the disagreement and resolving it amicably. This shows that he is a true democrat, a lawyer who understands the implications of disobeying rules and he has demonstrated his undying love for Nigerian sports’’, Gumel said.