Delta FA: NFF board members divided over Normalization Committee
Member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are sharply divided over the enforcement of the Normalization Committee on the Delta State Football Association (DFA), NationSport can exclusively reports.
The NFF reportedly named a four-man committee last Wednesday to run the affairs of football in the state with a mandate to conduct a fresh election within three months in spite of the fact that former Nigeria international Edema Fuludu was duly elected as Delta FA Chairman on July 13, 2019, with former African Footballer of the Year, Victor Ikpeba, elected as Vice Chairman.
There is a growing speculation that the covert mandate of the committee was partly to install the current Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Tony Okowa, as the new DFA helmsman.
In a letter dated January 15th and signed by Onoja Joshua on behalf of the NFF General Secretary, Henry Nkeki was named as the chairman of the Normalization Committee.
But it was learnt over the weekend that issue should at best be tabled before the NFF board or its emergency committee under whose jurisdiction the Normalization Committee can be authorised. However this was not the case and an impeccable source revealed that many members of the NFF board were not actually in the know of the details over the on-going subterfuge in Delta FA.
“The issue of Normalisation Committee for Delta FA is an aberration and most members of the NFF board were even at sea over such decision because it was not meticulously addressed. Though there were many things wrong with the elections held last year in Delta State, the NFF has not also conducted its own affairs well,” a source privy to the workings of the NFF told NationSport on condition of anonymity.
“On another part, the NFF too is carrying on with the enforcement of the committee with impunity. This is at variance with what is obtainable in international climes and the question is: has the Delta FA or the imposed normalisation committee met international best practices?”
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Efforts to reach the NFF’s Director of Communication Ademola Olajire to comment on the latest development proved abortive as repeated calls to his phones were not processed.
But further checks revealed that the Fuludu-led board remains resolute to doing anything within the ambit of the law to preserve their mandate as they are still seeking legal advice on the vexed issue.