By Benedict Nwachukwu, Abuja
The ambition of the outgoing Chairman of Nasarawa State Football Association, Mohammed Alkali to succeed self has received a wide condemnation of the stakeholders in the state that claimed the ambition will destroy football in the state even as they swore with the last drop of their blood that he shall proceed no further.
Speaking with www.theajasanews.comformer Commissioner for Youth and Sports in the state Hon. Bamaiyi Anangba said the outgoing chairman has decided to destroy football in the state with his inordinate ambition to sit tight as the chairman of the state FA after serving two terms of eight years and practically without the state benefiting from his tenure.
Hon. Anangba claimed that prior to the coming of Alkali as state state FA chairman, the state has never been so divided in football matters because “we have been one big family and we are all interested in the slogan for the good of the game and the state.”
The former commissioner who is presently the Director of Sports Nasarawa state Polytechnic said the eight years of Alkali dragged football development in the state backward which is why the good and football loving people of the state have demanded for a change and have rejected him.
He argued that the era of handing the fortune of the state’s football to a man without ideas, zeal and developmental programme is over and warned that the stakeholders of the game can no longer fold their hands and watch one man destroy the future of the youth.
Hon. Anangba wondered why nine aspirants should be disqualified if not to clear way for Alkali and his cohorts to be returned unopposed but he noted that those planning the coup will certainly be disappointed because “we will not accept that.”
“I purchased my form, filled it and submitted same according to the election guidelines, I was screened like the other eight aspirants. We were not told anything only for us to hear that we have been disqualified. What was the reason, nobody could tell us. The most painful thing is that the two time Vice Chairman of the state FA, Haliru Ibrahim who contested for the post of Chairman even twice against Alkali was disqualified. We will not accept it. It is either these anomalies are corrected or there will be no election here.”
He also noted that as law abiding citizens of the state, they have taken the necessary steps to make sure the right thing is done but further warned that Alkali and his cohorts are biting more than they can chew.
In a related development, former Chairman of Keana LGA, Mohammed Ayitogo described the ongoing scenario as a plot by the outgoing chairman to form a kangaroo Republic in football particularly in Nasarawa state thereby undermining the rules guiding the conduct of elections into the boards of the various states FAs in general and Nasarawa state in particular.
Hon. Ayitogo cautioned those planning to cause anarchy in the state through the FA election to desist from that because the stakeholders will not fold their hands and watch them destroy what belongs to all of them noting that it is no longer business as usual.
He described the purported disqualification of nine of them as the greatest joke of the year noting that the plan of the outgoing Alkali led board will be the undoing of the state but warned that the nine of them purportedly disqualified are capable of making sure that justice prevails.
The former Chairman who is presently the state leader of the APC Youth wing said they have taken their complaints to the appropriate quarters and are confident that those concerned have their ears wide open and will certainly ensure that justice prevails, adding “they disqualified nine of us aspiring to one position or the other without any reason but it is our constitutional rights to aspire to be on the board of our state FA and we are sure we met the criteria. Any attempt to deny us our constitutional rights will be vehemently resisted.”
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