Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Ahead of the 81st Annual General Assembly of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) scheduled for this Saturday in Ibadan, a critical stakeholder in the country’s football, Prince Harrison Jalla, has petition FIFA to intervene to stop the Congress from committing a cosmetic amendment to the electoral process that continues to sustain the fraudulent and undemocratic structure where charlatans emerge every four-year cycle as leaders of Nigerian football. 

In the petition dated 23rd September, 2025,  Jalla, who is a former president of the country’s Players’ Union, drew the attention of the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, to two law Suits:  No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1376/2021 and Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1006/2002 pending in courts from the 2022 elections that brought in Ibrahim Gusau as president of the NFF.

“My attention, and that of other stakeholders, has been drawn to a notice dated 14th September 2025 from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), signed by Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the General Secretary, regarding a purported congress slated for 25th, 26th, and 27th September 2025 in Ibadan, Oyo State of Nigeria, which a FIFA delegation is expected to attend.

“The import of this FIFA delegation’s visit is to rubber-stamp a cosmetic amendment to the electoral process, one that continues to sustain the fraudulent and undemocratic structure where charlatans emerge every four-year cycle as leaders of Nigerian football. This entrenches corruption and aids the free fall of Nigerian football, using FIFA as a cover.

“In light of the above circumstances, I respectfully inform FIFA as follows:

1. The electoral process of the Nigeria Football Federation is currently sub judice, arising from disputes in the September 2022 NFF elections. These are being fiercely contested by relevant stakeholders and members of the five federating units that make up the NFF, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1376/2021 and Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1006/2002.

“2. Articles 2 and 15 of the FIFA Statutes, and Articles 18 and 30 of the NFF Statutes, clearly define how the statutes can be amended. This is a purely internal issue, not within the purview of FIFA.”

Jalla insisted in the petition that it was mind-boggling that “despite several complaints by Nigerian football stakeholders regarding the misappropriation, misapplication, and massive corruption associated with FIFA annual grants, FIFA Forward 1 and 2 grants, and several other streams of funding, FIFA has deliberately shielded corruption in Nigeria for the last 10 years. Yet, FIFA is always quick to storm Nigeria every four-year cycle to oversee NFF elections that are consistently characterized by fraud, massive vote-buying, and other electoral malpractices.”

In conclusion, Jalla stressed that since parties involved in the dispute have already committed to the Nigerian judicial process, “it would be contemptuous of Nigerian law if any third party—either by commission or omission—attempts to circumvent or undermine our judicial process. The consequences would be direct criminal contempt proceedings against any party, including FIFA officials.”

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