Three presidential aspirants in the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elections have asked President Bola Tinubu to suspend the process and order an investigation into alleged irregularities ahead of the vote for the 2026–2030 term.
The candidates accused the outgoing NBBF President, Ahmadu Musa Kida, of manipulating the electoral process to favour his preferred successor, Mustapha Abdullahi, Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
In a petition dated October 12 and addressed to Tinubu, the aspirants alleged that more than 15 state basketball association chairmen and delegates had been removed and replaced with people they considered unqualified, barely two weeks before the federation’s extraordinary and elective congresses.
The petition was signed by Igoche Mark, representing the North Central zone; Olumide Oyedeji, representing the South West; and Ejike Ugboaja, representing the South East.
Copies were sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen and Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume.
The petitioners said the alleged changes were designed to influence voting in favour of Abdullahi, adding that some candidates had also been excluded from positions they applied for by the electoral committee.
“Over fifteen legitimate State Basketball Association Chairmen and representatives have been arbitrarily removed and replaced with unqualified persons to secure votes for his preferred candidate,” they alleged.
They listed Zamfara, Kaduna, Gombe, Benue, Kwara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Niger, Edo and Taraba among the states affected. They also alleged financial inducement and the involvement of some state governors, but provided no independent evidence in the petition to substantiate the claims.
The aspirants further questioned Abdullahi’s eligibility to lead the federation while serving as head of a Federal Government agency.
Citing the 2026 edition of the Nigeria Public Service Rules, they argued that restrictions on outside commercial activities by full-time public servants raised concerns about whether a serving chief executive of a government agency could adequately discharge the responsibilities of NBBF president.
They said the leadership of the federation required full commitment and called for the eligibility question to be examined before the election.
The candidates urged Tinubu to direct the National Sports Commission to halt the electoral process and investigate the alleged breaches, saying the intervention was necessary to ensure compliance with the federation’s constitution and protect the integrity of Nigerian basketball.
The allegations against Kida and the electoral committee were contained in the petition. The document did not include responses from those accused.
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