Amaju elected new NFF President

Amaju Pinnick

Delta State Football Association Chairman, Amaju Pinnick, on Tuesday emerged as the new President of the Nigeria Football Federation.

The 43-year-old, who is also the Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, scored 32 votes after second round of voting to win the election in Warri, Delta State.

The Chairman of the NFF Electoral committee, Sampson Ebomhe, who announced the result, said Lobi Stars Chairman Dominic Iorfa came second with eight votes while former Secretary-General of the federation Taiwo Ogunjobi came third with four votes. Continue..

Other contestants were Amanze Uchegbulam, Mike Umeh, Abba Yola and Shehu Dikko.

Amaju had earlier scored 25 votes out of 44 in the first round of voting in which he failed to get two-thirds of the vote. In that round, Ogunjobi got nine votes while Iorfa got six.Uchegbulam scored four votes while Umeh and Yola got no votes.

Amaju said after the election he would reconcile the warring parties in Nigerian football in order to develop the game in the country.

He said, “The past board has set a high mark, but we will do everything possible to surpass it.”

Lagos State FA Chairman Seyi Akinwunmi was voted as the 1st Vice-President with 30 votes. He beat Adamu Shehu, who got eight votes, Emeka Inyama who scored four votes, and Sulieman Muazu who got two votes.

Suleiman Kwande from Plateau State and Ahmed Yusuf (Fresh) of Niger State were voted as representatives of the North-Central zone, while Chris Green from Rivers State will represent the South-South zone.

The North-East zone will be represented by Modibbo Hussaini of Taraba State and Kachalla Baba Gana Kalli of Bornu State, while Sharu Rabiu Inuwa from Kano State will represent the North-West zone.

Sunday Ajayi from Ondo State beat Olaleye Adepoju of Oyo State and Ayodeji Tinubu of Lagos State to clinch the slot for the South-West zone.

Enyimba Chairman Felix Anyasi from Abia State was returned as a representative of the South- East zone. But the second slot for the zone will be filled during the Nigeria National League election.

Musa Ibrahim from Zamfara State is the Chairman of Chairmen. He was unopposed in the election.

Amaju’s immediate task is to decide on the future of Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi, who has yet to be given a new contract after his initial deal ran out after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in June. Nigeria reached the second round of the competition. They 2-0 lost to former world champions France in the round of 16.

Keshi managed the Super Eagles for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa last month.