By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
With the 2026 Elective Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) less than five months away, aspirants to the various positions in the Executive Committee, especially the presidency, have intensified their underground lobbying, maneuvering, and shadow campaigns ahead of time.
Prompt News investigations have revealed that some aspirants have already thrown their hats in the ring many months to the federation’s Elective Congress scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 26, 2026, in Lafia, Nasarawa state,
The date and venue of the coming election were confirmed during an NFF Extraordinary General Assembly held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in March 2026.
Already, a 12-member Electoral Committee and Electoral Appeals Committee approved by the General Assembly in Yenagoa were inaugurated in Abuja on March 25, 2026, to oversee the election process. The Nasarawa Congress will usher in a new Executive Board to lead the NFF for a new four-year cycle.
But, as at the time of filing this report,n London-based football administrator and Team Nigeria UK founder, David Doherty, has declared his candidacy for NFF president, aiming to reform Nigerian football with a seven-point agenda, including increased commercialization and youth development.
Aside Doherty, two aspirants have announced their intentions to run for election in September with veteran broadcast journalist Calistus Ebare seeking to represent the South South geopolitical in the next NFF Executive Committee while the incumbent Chairman of Anambra Football Association, Chikelue Iloenyiosi has declared he is in the race to represent the South East in the Executive Committee.
With more candidates expected to declare their interest in the NFF election later in the year, there are indications that the incumbent NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau (MON) is primed to be re-elected in September based on some of the visible achievement his administration has recorded in three and half years, especially the ongoing flagship project of the construction of NFF-FIFA Players Hostel and two Practice Pitches at Package B of Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
In his first three years in office (since October 2022), President Gusau has focused on grassroots development, improved players’ welfare, and financial restructuring, notably securing sponsorships with a network provider
MTN; fund management company GTI Investment and cable television provider StarTimes.
In fact, Gusau’s
key achievements include advancing women’s football with all three national women’s teams, Super Falcons, Falconets (U-20), and Flamingos (U-17) winning laurels for Nigeria; modernizing men and women domestic leagues, and fostering unity among football stakeholders.
Also, Gusau has prioritized youth competitions, school football, and talent identification programs across states to build a sustainable foundation.
Under Gusau, efforts have been made to restructure the Nigeria National League (NNL) and align the country’s domestic football calendar with international standards.
His tenure has also witnessed an improved welfare of players, staff, and stakeholders even as he has focused on consistent payment of match bonuses and allowances to players, coaches, and match officials, reducing disputes.
The NFF under President Gusau has built a strategic partnership with corporate bodies or
sponsors including MTN and GTI Investment, and integrated technology into match broadcasts.
It is to his credit that NFF has achieved an administrative unity Gusau as it has fostered a collaborative environment by involving ex-internationals and stakeholders in decision-making.
Gusau, who is the current President of the West Africa Football Union (WAFU-B Zone) has also focused on grassroots football through increased support for regional football and administrative and
coaching clinics.
Above all, Gusau has carried himself in the most respectful and responsible manner by having a listening ears to complains and advice from high and low people just as he has so far ran a transparent administration as a certified accountant.
For these reasons, it will not be out of place for the aspirants to drop their ambitions to allow Gusau a second term of four years to enable him to complete projects his administration is currently handling, especially the befitting new Players Hostel and two Practice Pitches (one natural and a synthetic turf) which are nearing completion.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the delivery of the new infrastructures that the residual funds from the FIFA Forward 2.0 and the funds from the FIFA Forward 3.0 is a legacy project of Gusau administration.
“The vision behind the the proposed players hostel is to free the NFF of the humongous expenses incurred regularly in accommodating the different National Teams. Once we have this place, the NFF can drastically reduce expenses on accommodation, and then redirect such funds towards more critical areas, such as nurturing local football talent and bolstering the overall infrastructure of Nigeria football”, Gusau told NFF Executive Committee members while proposing the project at his second meeting he chaired in September 2022.
He restated his words during an inspection tour of the site in January 2025 with the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Mallam Shehu Dikko and also during the Groundbreaking of NFF-FIFA Players Hostel and New Training Pitches on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
Interestingly, one year after the groundbreaking ceremony, the projects are in the state of completion. Unlike what Nigerians are used to seeing, the block work of the Players Hostel is almost complete with the two-floor already done while the synthetic turf and natural grass pitches are nearing completion.
According to Mr. Rajan Zakka, Coordinator, FIFA Projects/NFF Director of Accounts, the contractors handling the legacy projects are well ahead of the two-year timeline they signed to handover the building to NFF.
Said he: With the speed the contractors are going, the facilities will be ready before the agreed two years timeline they signed with the federation. I make bold to say that they have achieved every milestone, the block work is done from the foundation to the last of the two floors. The turfs are almost ready. We are satisfied with the speed of work”.
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It will therefore be counter-productive to disrupt the seamless working relationship between Gusau-led NFF and the FIFA-approved contractors Jedo Investment Company Limited if the Zamfara state-born football administrator is not allowed to birth the projects he conceived.
This is why Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau deserves a statutory second term to enable him complete the New NFF-FIFA Players Hostel and Two Practice Pitches.
This is the way to go for ‘The Good of Nigeria Football’.
