NFF Presidency: I’ve No Preferred Candidate, Says Pinnick

Outgoing president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has charged frontline candidates for this month’s NFF presidential election to conduct rancour-free, exemplary electioneering campaigns even as they seek the highest football-administration seat in the land.

Pinnick who met with the trio Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, who have all obtained forms to contest NFF presidency at the September 30, 2022 NFF Elective Congress slated for Benin City, Edo State, said he had no special candidate for presidential election and urged them to seek for votes in a most decent and respectable manner, and not invoke the spirit of do-or-die for the race.

“I have called this meeting to assure you all that I do not have a candidate in this race. Each and every one of you is my candidate because we worked and walked together in the past eight years, seeking the best for Nigeria Football. I believe that you are all aiming for the position in order to be able to consolidate on the little gains that we were able to make and to preserve or even surpass our legacies.

“I urge you all to go about the campaigns with utmost decency, avoid any form of acerbic outpourings and remember that we all belong to the same family that worked for the best interests of Nigeria’s football for the past eight years. I wish each and everyone of you the very best with the voting college.”

Akinwunmi, who is also Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, is up against Gusau, who is also Chairman of the Zamfara State Football Association and Dikko, as well as a number of other aspirants including former international player Idah Peterside, CAF’s head of safety and security, Christian Emeruwa and respected technocrat and former chairman of Kano Pillars, Abba Abdullahi Yola.