FG orders Pinnick to vote for Hayatou

The Nigerian government has ordered its delegation to vote for incumbent Issa Hayatou despite its previous choice of challenger Ahmad of Madagascar in tomorrow’s election of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to an AFP report, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo asked NFF chief Amaju Pinnick to support the Cameroonian who is seeking to extend his 29-year reign at the top of African football for diplomatic reasons.

Cameroon’s government had backed the Nigerian effort to quash the terrorist group Boko Haram that created an enclave in the border area of both countries and Chad. A multinational force was needed to dislodge the group that held more than two hundred school girls captive.

Pinnick, who is also contesting for a place on the CAF Executive Committee, has been in the forefront of a campaign to stop Hayatou from continuing in office, with Ahmad the beneficiary.

However, the Nigerian government has now taken a position for Hayatou, as the NFF delegation arrived in Addis Ababa on Monday to intensify campaigns.

Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung, who along with NFF board had asked Pinnick to vote for a candidate of his choice, spoke on the government position.

“When I invited them I told them Nigeria’s position is to vote in favour of our national interest. And not too long ago, the federal made it categorically clear our position, and the position of the federal government of Nigeria is that in view of the fact that Cameroon have been a major key player in the war against insurgency and the involvement of Cameroon in fighting for the stability of Nigeria, it will be out of the foreign policy context of Nigeria to abandon Cameroon and the acting president directed me and I have communicated appropriately that if the only vote that will come to Hayatou will be from Nigeria, Nigeria should stand with Hayatou.

That is the directive from the federal government,” Dalung said.

Daily Trust made several efforts, including phone calls and text messages to the NFF General Secretary Sanusi Mohammed and Spokesman Ademola Olajire for comments but the efforts did not yield results as both Sanusi and Olajire’s lines did not respond and the text messages were not answered.