NBBF Elections in Abuja Face Allegations of Manipulation

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) is scheduled to conduct its board elections in Abuja on Thursday, amid serious allegations of electoral manipulation, a petition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and a pending court case regarding the electoral process. These elections will determine the federation's leadership for the 2026–2030 tenure.

Tensions escalated when three presidential aspirants (Olumide Oyedeji, Igoche Mark, and Ejike Ugboaja) submitted a petition on October 12, accusing outgoing NBBF President Ahmadu Musa Kida of attempting to manipulate the election in favor of Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria. The aspirants requested that President Tinubu direct the National Sports Commission to suspend the elections and investigate their claims.

They raised concerns about the alleged removal and replacement of state basketball association chairmen and delegates, claiming that over 15 legitimate representatives were replaced to influence the election outcome. States mentioned in the petition include Zamfara, Kaduna, Gombe, Benue, Kwara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Niger, Edo, and Taraba.