Former
internationals are said to be
divided over the choice of
the candidate they will support during the Nigeria Judo Federation
presidential election in Abuja on June 13.
Sources told our correspondent that the NJF election could be marred by violence as some of the
supporters of the various aspirants for
the federation’s presidential poll are
allegedly prepared to cause
trouble at the election venue if the outcome of the election does not go their
way.
The immediate past president of the federation Timothy
Nsirim and the immediate past vice-president
of the body Musa Oshodi are the front-runners for the post.
While some of the ex-players are backing Oshodi for the post, others are rooting
for Nsirim. Lagos State Judo Association
vice-chairman Emmanuel Gbahabo, who is a former international, is also said to
be enjoying support from some of the ex-judokas.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja recently, our correspondent learnt that the ex-judokas who attended the
event agreed to support one of their
own during the poll.
Prior to the dissolution of national sports federations by the sports
ministry ahead of the next month’s elections, the NJF was enmeshed in leadership
crisis with some of the
ex-judokas on the board locked in battle with Nsirim, who is a non-judoka.
Former technical director of the federation Aliyu Mohammed,
who confirmed the development, ruled out the possibility of Nsirim returning to
the top post.
“There was a stakeholders’ meeting which involved most of
the ex-judokas and it was agreed that for the sport to move forwards, we need
to have a president who is a former international,” Mohammed told our
correspondent on the telephone.
“The sport has suffered in the last four years and we cannot
continue along that line. The change we need will happen when we have someone
who was a judoka and has the experience
to direct the affairs of the sport.”
However, a former
international and the referee director of the sacked board
Alexander De Souza is alleged to be mobilising
support for Nsirim as he believes he is still the right man for the job.
De Souza, who refused to
confirm his support for Nsirim,
however said the federation needs a
leader who has the resources to develop judo in the country.
He said, “Having an ex-international as judo president is
good but the question is that would he be able to finance the programmes of the
federation? What judo needs currently is a person who is connected and can
provide the funds to organise competitions as well as take our athletes to
competitions.
“An ex-judoka, who is a civil servant, won’t be able to do
that but when we have someone who is not an ex-judoka that has the money as
president, we can have an ex-judoka as his deputy.
“With my own experience in the sport, I can facilitate
competitions to be brought to the country but the funds to host them are not there.”
But a former judoka, Francis Agbaa, disagreed with De Souza De Souza, saying an
ex-international should be the president of the NJF.
“Accountants, auditors, doctors, nurses and all other
professional bodies elect one of their own to preside over their affairs but
judo is the only place where a non-judoka abandons politics to pilot the affairs of an IJF
affiliated body,” he said.
“We need a former judoka as the NJF president this time
around to ensure that all the mistakes of the last four years are corrected.”
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