NFF Congress In Bayelsa Under Fire Amidst Legal Challenge, Presidential Directive

A contentious Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Congress, purportedly scheduled for February 14, 2026, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has drawn sharp criticism and legal warnings from the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Concepts (ANFRC).

Prince Harrison Jalla, chairman of the ANFRC, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP sports yesterday, vehemently challenging the legitimacy of the upcoming gathering and accusing the NFF of flouting court orders and a presidential directive.

At the heart of the dispute is the current composition of the NFF Congress, which Jalla describes as a “one-member Congress.” He asserts that the State Football Association Chairmen currently hold an overwhelming 37 out of 44 voting rights, effectively marginalising the other four federating units and blocs that, according to NFF Statutes, should enjoy equal membership status. These units include the Coaches Association, the Leagues, the Referees Association, and the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN).

The ANFRC chairman highlighted that the “undemocratic structure” and its electoral process have been the subject of ongoing litigation since 2021, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1376/2021. The primary relief sought in this case is equal representation on the NFF Executive Board, Standing Committees, and Ad-hoc Committees for all five federating units. Consequently, Jalla declared any purported Congress, whether “Extraordinary Congress or Elective Congress,” as “sub judice” and warned that the “Ibrahim Gusau Congress has no locus to convene any Congress in desperation until the ongoing litigation on the NFF electoral process is resolved.”

Furthermore, the ANFRC pointed to a Presidential Directive issued on June 17, 2022, which they claim the NFF has consistently disregarded. Jalla accused the NFF of acting “as though it is bigger than the country” by flouting this directive.

Issuing a stern warning to those considering attending the Bayelsa Congress, Jalla referenced a past incident in September 2010 in Lagos, where the entire NFF Congress was charged individually and docked for contempt of court, narrowly escaping jail time through federal government intervention. He stressed that “there are two subsisting court orders on that illegal Congress” and vowed that the ANFRC would take similar action “if need be.”

Prince Jalla concluded his statement by asserting that the current “undemocratic Congress cannot make decisions for other federating units and blocs constituting the NFF.” He insisted that only a Congress of equal representatives, established in accordance with NFF Statutes and the Presidential Directive, possesses the authority to amend the NFF Statutes, emphasising that “Nigeria is a constitutional democracy.” The statement ended with a scathing remark directed at “jobless leeches who have fed on the NFF for decades,” urging them to find “something meaningful to do.”