CAF election: Galadima wants Pinnick, stakeholders to bury differences
Former chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima has called on the NFF president Amaju Pinnick and aggrieved members of Nigerian football to close ranks in the over all interest of Nigerian football.
The football fraternity in Nigeria is presently divided over the decision of the NFF president to openly declare support for Issa Hayatou’s opponent in the forthcoming CAF elections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In a chat with Daily Trust on Saturday, the highly respected sports administrator said since government has come out to endorse Pinick for the CAF election, all other parties should respect the decision of government.
He said initially the minister’s body language suggested that he was not in support of Pinnick’s ambition but now that he has come out to announce that government is behind him, everybody should accept the decision taken by government.
He, however, advised Pinnick to immediately reach out to all aggrieved parties in orde to heal wounds and ensure that the outcome of the March 16 election will favour Nigeria.
Galadima noted that even those who opposed Pinnick took that decision maybe because he failed to make room for dialogue with some of the key stakeholders who would have advised him on how to go about his CAF ambition.
He maintained that Nigerian football is already facing a lot of problems so nothing should be done to aggravate the bad situation.
“Since the minister of sports announced government’s support for Pinnick, we all must respect the decision of government.
“I believe those who had issues with Pinnick and his ambition did so because he failed to consult properly. I don’t think they raised objections because they don’t like him.
“I advise Pinnick to quickly reach out to every one concerned and try to heal the wounds. He must find ways to bring everyone together to ensure the outcome of the CAF election favours Nigeria.
“In everything we do, we must try to put the interest of the country first. Our football is not where it should be so we must avoid creating more problems.
“If Pinnick is supporting the man from Madagascar, he should be sure that in the end, Nigerian football will benefit. It is a dicey situation for Nigeria, “he said.
Galadima, therefore, called on government to back up its decision with more support for the NFF president as he said winning a seat on CAF Executive Committee requires more than just endorsement.
The Patron of Nigeria Olympics Committee, NOC, said there is really no time for government to mobilise the much needed support for Pinnick so those concerned should swing into action without further delay.