Editor
The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Appeals Committee, chaired by Emmanuel Okibe Esq., has dismissed a petition filed by former NBBF presidential candidate Olumide Oyedeji, challenging the outcome of the federation’s 2026 elections, declaring that the petition lacked merit and sufficient evidence.
The committee also upheld the results of the 2026 NBBF elections, affirming that the declarations made by the Electoral Committee remain valid.
In its findings, the Appeals Committee said Oyedeji, who contested for the South-West Zonal Representative position and the NBBF presidency, failed to provide the evidence requested to substantiate his allegations within the stipulated period.
Oyedeji had challenged the electoral process on several grounds, including the initial omission of his name from the list of cleared candidates for the South-West zonal election, the alleged unilateral expulsion of eight board members by the former NBBF president, alleged irregularities in the replacement of delegates, the choice of Yola, Adamawa State, as the venue for the extraordinary congress, and the appointment of the Electoral and Appeals Committees.
He asked the committee to overturn the South-West zonal election, which he lost, and cancel the entire 2026 NBBF electoral process.
However, the Appeals Committee found that although Oyedeji’s name was initially omitted from the list of cleared contestants, the Electoral Committee promptly addressed the error after he brought it to its attention.
According to the committee, the matter was presented to the elective congress, which unanimously approved his inclusion in the South-West zonal election.
The Electoral Committee subsequently added his name and asked whether he was prepared to contest, to which he answered in the affirmative.
The committee stated that Oyedeji participated in the election but lost in what it described as a free, fair and transparent process.
On the choice of Yola as the venue for the extraordinary congress held on September 25, 2025, the Appeals Committee said it could not establish any evidence that the decision influenced the election or violated the 2019 NBBF Constitution.
It further noted that Oyedeji was accredited and participated in the congress where the 2026 electoral process was discussed and approved, without lodging any complaint at the time.
The committee also found no evidence of constitutional breaches in the composition of the Electoral and Appeals Committees, dismissing the allegation that their appointments were intended to manipulate the election against Oyedeji.
Regarding the alleged expulsion of eight board members, the committee said the petitioner failed to provide documentary evidence to substantiate his claim or demonstrate how the alleged action affected his electoral chances.
On the allegation that the former NBBF president manipulated delegates’ lists to influence the outcome, the committee explained that the president did not possess the constitutional authority to independently change delegates nominated by states and recognised constituencies.
It said the NBBF Secretary General had written to the relevant states and constituencies to validate their delegates ahead of the elective congress, with responses duly documented.
The committee added that even the former president had to obtain confirmation of his delegate status from his constituency before participating in the election.
It also noted that FIBA had to validate the status of retired Colonel Sam Ahmedu as the international representative before he was recognised.
The Appeals Committee further alleged that Oyedeji had attempted to impose himself as a delegate from Lagos State but was unsuccessful. It said another board member from Benue State had also made a similar unsuccessful attempt.
One of the most serious issues identified by the committee concerned documents Oyedeji attached to his petition, which he said had previously been submitted to the National Sports Commission (NSC), FIBA and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).
The committee said its investigation established that at least one person whose name appeared among the signatories to the documents denied signing them or authorising the use of his signature.
Specifically, the committee obtained written confirmation from Olumide Bamiduro, a former Director of FEADS and current NBBF board member, who reportedly stated that he neither signed the documents nor gave anyone permission to use his signature.
The committee consequently raised concerns that the documents could have been forged, describing the allegation as a serious matter that could attract criminal investigation if established in a court of law.
It recommended that the NBBF refer the matter to the relevant law enforcement authorities for a full investigation to identify those responsible for the alleged forgery and impersonation.
The committee, however, presented the matter as an allegation requiring further investigation rather than a criminal offence already established by a court.
In its final decision, the Appeals Committee declared Oyedeji’s petition invalid and without merit, citing the failure to provide the requested evidence and concerns over the authenticity of the documents submitted.
It consequently dismissed the petition and upheld the outcome of the 2026 NBBF elections.
Umar’s Petition Over North-East Representative Position
The Appeals Committee also received a petition from Mohammed Sani Umar, Esq., who challenged his exclusion from the list of candidates for the North-East Representative position on the NBBF board for the 2026–2030 tenure.
Umar, who is the chairman of the Bauchi Basketball Association, alleged that his name was wrongly omitted from the list of candidates despite his claim that he complied with the electoral guidelines.
According to his petition, he submitted a scanned nomination form by email to the NBBF Secretary General on October 7, 2026, but only discovered that his name was missing from the list of contestants on the day of the elective congress.
He maintained that his position as chairman of the Bauchi Basketball Association entitled him to contest for a position on the NBBF board.
Umar asked the Appeals Committee to address what he considered an unjust exclusion from the North-East zonal election, although his petition did not specify the precise remedy he wanted the committee to grant.
The details of the committee’s investigation, findings and final decision on Umar’s petition were not included in the available report.
The two petitions formed part of the challenges brought before the NBBF Appeals Committee following the federation’s 2026 elections, which produced a new board for the 2026–2030 administration.
Photo: Olumide Oyedeji
