The Nasarawa State Government has called for a free, fair, and credible election into the Board of the Nasarawa State Football Association.
The State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Jafaru Ango, made the call on Thursday when he played host to the two major contenders for the position of Chairman in his office in Lafia.
Jafaru noted that the Ministry is the umbrella body of all Sports Organizations in the State, hence the need to play a fatherly role in ensuring that Sports Associations carry out their activities accordingly and meet acceptable standards and requirements for the growth and development of sports in the State.
The Commissioner revealed that the Government has no preferred candidate in the forthcoming election, urging delegates to vote for the best candidates of their choice to take football to the next level in the State.
He appealed to the Electoral Committee to uphold the guidelines for the election by giving every candidate a level playing ground to usher in a new Board for the State Football Association through a free, fair, and credible process, devoid of violence.
“As it stands today, the eyes of the sports world are focused on Nasarawa State and how you will conduct the FA Election.
“As a Government, we play the oversight role of ensuring that everything goes according to the acceptable standard.
“Enter into the contest with the spirit of sportsmanship. Whatever the outcome, accept it and support your counterpart to succeed. If you don’t win today, it is never the end of the world – there is a possibility that you might win tomorrow.
“The Electoral Committee must strictly adhere to best practices by allowing a democratic tradition to take a foothold in the forthcoming FA Election in the State.
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“Electorates should be allowed to elect their leaders through a clean ballot process.
“The ELCOM must ensure a level playing field and ensure that the election is secure, free, fair, and credibly conducted.
“The electorate must not be intimated before, during or after the election because everyone is a stakeholder.
“As a Government, we believe in the unity and progress of the State and her people in all spheres.
“We are keenly following up on all the developments regarding the FA Election, and we wish every contestant the very best of luck at the poll”, the Commissioner stated.
The main chairmanship candidates for Saturday’s Election, Salisu Galadima(a.k.a Basira) and Haliru Ibrahim(a.k.a Zee) promised to abide by the electoral guidelines and shall accept whatever outcome of the Election in the spirit of sportsmanship and play.
Also in attendance at the meeting were Chief Barr. Isaac Danladi, Permanent Secretary, Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Directors of the Ministry, Chairmen of the FA And Appeals’ Committees, as well as a handful of other contestants.
The election into the Board of the Nasarawa State Football Association is slated for Saturday, 4th November 2023, at the Youth Centre, Keffi, by 10 o’clock in the morning.
