Leadership crisis tears Taraba FA apart
Peace and tranquility may have continued to elude Nigerian football community following the leadership crisis rocking the Taraba State Football Association. Anambra FA is enmeshed in its own crisis with Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s election as the FA chairman being declared null and void.
It would be recalled that on July 12, 2019, two parallel elections were conducted where Mahmud Sanusi Mohammed was announced the winner at Bali Local Government while, the incumbent, Timothy Magaji Heman held another election on the same date at Mope Akamase Hall in Numan Local Government in Adamawa state.
However, Sanusi Mahmud faction has remained insistent that his election was duly administered in line with the laid down electoral guidelines.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that the state ministry of Youth and Sports Development last year had written to the NFF to authenticate the election that brought in Sanusi Mahmud as the duly elected FA chairman.
It will be noted that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had in a letter dated 26th September 2019, with Ref No. NFF/GEN/85/1/42 written to Taraba State Football Association calling for a truce to bring sanity and end the crisis in the association.
In a response letter to the NFF, the chairman of Jalingo Football Council, Suleiman Adamu, blamed the crisis on Magaji who prevented NFF’s election observer, Alhaji Babagana Kalli, from being present at the venue of the election in Bali Local Government.
He then expressed disgust over the resolution of NFF through Ibrahim Gusau who came to Jalingo to inform them that Timothy has been duly recognized, and threatened to ban the state from all National football activities if he was not allowed to carry out his duty.
“It is a slap on the face of the people of Taraba and it is a slap on the government of Taraba State, and we have resolved not to succumb to their wish. Taraba State government will not recognise Timothy, the football family in Taraba will also not recognize him.
“Our election met all the requirement except for the fact that the NFF supervisor refused to turn up which is not our making. Apart from the fact that all the football stakeholders were present at our election, the government of the state was duly represented by the Director of sports,” he said.