Nigerian Football
DELTA FA ELECTIONS: ON JUNE 13, WE STAND, SAYS EDEME FULUDU
The newly elected chairman of the Delta Football Association, Edema Fuludu, has stated that the June 13, 2019 elections in Warri, Delta State, were a very credible one.
He added that it was conducted with strict adherence to the NFF Statutes.
The ex-international, who spoke in Warri, Friday morning, noted that, all due process was followed in the elections process at the Victory View Hotel, Warri.
“Everything we did was with the approval of the Nigeria Football Federation.”
Stressing that: “The date, time, venue, Electoral Committee and delegates for the elections were all approved by the NFF.
“We had a list of 32 delegates out of which 25 voted with seven delegates believed to be supporters of the Delta Sports Commission chairman, Tonobuk Okowa, staying away without excuses. I
“It was their choice to stay away after I refused to accept Tonobuk’s proposal to step down and run for vice chairman.
“Everything the Delta Sports Commission have been doing is government interference. The Commission chairman, has been directing the Delta FA secretary, Azuka Ogosi, to write all sorts of letters against the DFA preparations for elections. And the secretary wrote letters and notifications without consulting with me the Acting chairman nor with members. This is unacceptable.”
He added: “At a point, the DFA secretary a civil servant in the Delta Sports Commission, sent a list of delegates purportedly compiled by the Delta Sports Commission to Abuja, but this was rejected by the NFF, that insisted that the list of delegates should come from the DFA.
“Another time, Ogosi, came up with three different dates for elections without the input of DFA members.
“These were also rejected by the NFF. Even the letter written by the secretary of the DFA after our elections yesterday, calling the DFA delegates group of friends was not authorized by members of the DFA.
“You can imagine the DFA having elections in Warri and the Secretary was in Asaba writing letter as directed by the Sports Commission chairman. It’s the height of government interference which the NFF Statutes object to.”
The former Acting chairman of the DFA disclosed that when a big wig of the NFF suggested that the DFA elections should moved until after the 2019 Nations Cup, despite being a personal opinion, it ran against the directive of the NFF Emergency Congress that all states’ FA elections must hold between May 28 and June 30, 2019. “We all know that the Nations Cup will end in July.”
The Delta FA Congress took place on Thursday in Warri and it was followed by the elections.
At the polls, Edema Fuludu emerged Chairman defeating Ebi Baba by 20 votes to four, Ikpeba Victor won the Vice Chairman’s election with 23 votes by acclamation after being nominated unopposed.
Other elected board members are: Prof Emma Okocha, Mrs. Ejiro Babafemi, Chukwuma Ochonogor, Julius Ijeh, Chief Mrs Awhana Mercy, Comrade Sheriff Mulade and Julius Atete.
Shortly before the elections, the Congress endorsed the removal of the Delta FA Secretary, Azuka Ogosi, for gross insubordination, anti association and sabotage. To replace Ogosi, the Congress of the DFA with a unanimous vote approved the appointment of Stanley Orukpe as the new secretary of the DFA.
The newly elected board of the Delta Football Association was inaugurated Thursday afternoon at the Victory View Hotel in Warri.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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