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International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have suspended the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) September 27 election while they assess the federation’s leadership crisis.
In a letter to NFF Deputy General Secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme on Monday, FIFA said it was reviewing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the developments.
The decision follows the mass resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other Executive Committee members on Thursday, August 27. FIFA said it had not reached any conclusion on what should happen next, despite receiving communications from several stakeholders in Nigeria.
“We refer to the various communications recently received by FIFA and CAF concerning developments within the Nigeria Football Federation,” FIFA Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov said.
He also referenced a September 1 meeting in Zurich between FIFA, CAF, NFF officials and representatives of the Nigerian Government.
“FIFA and CAF are currently assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications arising from the current circumstances within the NFF,” Mammadov said.
He added that the review would consider the relevant facts, NFF regulations and positions presented by the different stakeholders.
“At this stage, FIFA and CAF have not reached any conclusions regarding the matters under review and no determination has been made with respect to any potential next steps,” the letter said.
The crisis began after Gusau and other officials resigned following mounting criticism over Nigeria’s national and youth teams. The scrutiny intensified after the senior men’s and women’s teams failed to qualify for their respective World Cups.
The resignations came just weeks before the planned September 27 NFF election, with the National Sports Commission moving to address what President Bola Tinubu described as “repeated failures”.
An NSC delegation led by Chairman Shehu Dikko met FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other officials at FIFA House in Zurich on September 1.
The latest development has also put plans for a possible normalisation committee on hold.
Although the NSC endorsed Ikpeme as acting NFF General Secretary, FIFA continued to address him as Deputy General Secretary in its correspondence.
FIFA also directed Ikpeme to remain the primary contact between the NFF, FIFA and CAF until further notice. FIFA and CAF are expected to send delegations to Abuja to meet NFF officials, Congress members, electoral bodies and the National Sports Commission. The mission will examine the circumstances surrounding the resignations and the views of the different stakeholders.
Following the assessment, FIFA and CAF may submit recommendations or proposals to their respective decision-making bodies. FIFA stressed that no assumptions should be made about what action it may eventually take.
