FIFA Urged To Continue NFF Electoral Process After Normalisation Committee’s Mandate Expire

By Sunday Agunbiade (Mr VAR)

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has been urged to ensure that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) electoral process resumes and proceeds to its logical conclusion upon the expiration of the mandate of the Normalisation Committee, subject to FIFA’s directives and the applicable NFF Statutes and Electoral Code.

The appeal is premised on the need to protect the integrity of football administration in Nigeria, preserve the legitimate procedural interests of prospective candidates and ensure that the country’s football governing body is not subjected to undue influence from political or governmental authorities.

Football stakeholders have expressed concern that the intervention of a Normalisation Committee, while potentially necessary to resolve an institutional crisis, should not become a means of indefinitely postponing democratic elections or creating opportunities for interested parties to enter an electoral race outside the established procedures.

They are therefore calling on FIFA to provide clear guidelines on the next steps, establish a definite timetable for the completion of the electoral process and ensure that every decision is guided by fairness, transparency and the applicable football statutes.

A central issue requiring FIFA’s attention is the status of individuals who obtained, completed and submitted nomination forms under the electoral timetable previously announced by the NFF Electoral Committee.

The NFF’s published 2026 electoral roadmap established a schedule for the sale and submission of forms, screening, appeals and the publication of the final list of cleared candidates.

The federation also announced that its Electoral Committee was responsible for supervising the process in accordance with the NFF Statutes and Electoral Code.

The roadmap and the establishment of the electoral committees were publicly communicated by the NFF in July and April 2026, respectively.

The stakeholders therefore contend that any decision on the next electoral timetable should give due consideration to candidates who responded to the official call, obtained the prescribed forms and submitted their documentation within the stipulated period.

FIFA should ensure that the election is not opened indiscriminately to individuals who did not participate in the original process, unless a lawful and properly authorised fresh electoral process is formally established.

Where the existing process remains legally valid and is merely suspended, the preferred course should be to resume it from the appropriate stage, preserving valid nominations, completed screening procedures and other lawful steps already undertaken.

However, if FIFA and the competent NFF authorities determine that the earlier process must be formally cancelled and replaced, the applicable statutes and electoral regulations should govern the transition. No candidate should be arbitrarily excluded, and no individual should receive preferential treatment outside the rules.

This position is not about protecting particular personalities or denying qualified Nigerians the right to contest. Rather, it is about ensuring that the rules governing an election are applied consistently and that those who complied with an officially published process are not unfairly disadvantaged by subsequent administrative decisions.

FIFA is respectfully urged to remind the National Sports Commission (NSC) and all relevant government institutions that their legitimate interest in the development of Nigerian sports must be exercised in a manner consistent with FIFA’s requirements for the autonomy of member associations.

Article 14(1)(i) of the FIFA Statutes requires member associations to manage their affairs independently and ensure that their affairs are not influenced by third parties, in accordance with Article 19.
Article 19(1) states:

“Each member association shall manage its affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”

Furthermore, Article 19(2) provides that the bodies of a member association must be elected or appointed within that association and that its statutes must provide for a democratic procedure guaranteeing the complete independence of the election or appointment.

Article 19(3) states that bodies not elected or appointed in accordance with those requirements shall not be recognised by FIFA.

These provisions establish an important principle: football administration must be conducted under the recognised statutes and democratic structures of the association, free from undue external influence.

Accordingly, FIFA should caution the NSC against using governmental authority, administrative directives or other instruments of government to predetermine electoral outcomes, alter eligibility conditions arbitrarily or frustrate a process that FIFA has authorised to proceed.

This appeal does not suggest that government institutions have no legitimate role in public sports policy. It calls for a clear distinction between legitimate policy oversight and interference in the internal electoral affairs of a FIFA member association.
Article 14: Compliance With FIFA’s Rules Is Mandatory.

Article 14(1)(a) of the FIFA Statutes obliges member associations to comply fully with FIFA’s Statutes, regulations, directives and decisions.
Article 14(2) further provides that violations of the obligations contained in paragraph 1 may lead to sanctions under the FIFA Statutes.

These provisions underscores the importance of compliance with decisions reached through FIFA’s recognised governance framework.

Consequently, any arrangement for the transition from a Normalisation Committee to an elected NFF leadership should be implemented in accordance with the terms of the committee’s mandate, the applicable NFF Statutes and Electoral Code, and FIFA’s binding directives.

The expiration of a committee’s mandate should trigger a clear institutional and electoral plan rather than an indefinite period of uncertainty. If further time is genuinely required, FIFA should clearly communicate the reasons, the scope of any extension or replacement arrangement, and the expected completion date.

Nigeria’s football administration requires institutional stability, credible leadership and confidence in its governance structures.

Prolonged uncertainty over elections can undermine the confidence of stakeholders, complicate long-term planning and create avoidable disagreements over the legitimacy of administrative decisions.

A transparent electoral process, on the other hand, provides an opportunity for qualified candidates to present their programmes, allow authorised delegates to make their choices and give the eventual leadership a stronger foundation for carrying out its responsibilities.

FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have an important role to play in helping Nigerian football resolve its governance challenges through a clear, rules-based process.
Their involvement should prioritise institutional independence, procedural fairness and a credible transition to elected leadership.

Our Demands to FIFA
In view of these concerns, FIFA is respectfully urged to:
Issue a clear directive on the expiration of the Normalisation Committee’s mandate, specifying the next steps and a realistic timetable for returning the NFF to elected leadership.

Preserve valid procedural rights arising from the earlier electoral process, including the submissions and screening already lawfully completed, where the original process remains in force.

Restrict participation in a resumed election to candidates entitled to participate under the applicable electoral rules, rather than permitting individuals who did not enter the original process to join it arbitrarily. If a fresh election is lawfully ordered, eligibility and nomination requirements must be applied consistently under the new timetable.
Warn the NSC against undue interference in the NFF’s internal electoral affairs through governmental instruments, administrative directives or other measures capable of undermining the independence of the process.

Require transparency and accountability in every decision concerning candidate eligibility, electoral timetables, screening, appeals and the transition from the Normalisation Committee.

Ensure that any continuation, extension or replacement of the Normalisation Committee is governed by a clear mandate, agreed and communicated through the appropriate FIFA and CAF framework, with safeguards against conflicts of interest.

Facilitate a credible and timely return to elected leadership, in line with the NFF Statutes, the applicable Electoral Code and FIFA’s governance requirements.

The future of Nigerian football must not be determined by administrative manoeuvres, political preferences or the interests of individuals seeking advantage in the electoral process.

It must be determined by the applicable rules, transparent procedures and the freely expressed choice of authorised delegates.

FIFA is therefore called upon to protect the integrity of the NFF electoral process, ensure that the expiration of the Normalisation Committee’s mandate leads to a clear path towards elected leadership, and prevent any party from using governmental authority to undermine the autonomy of Nigerian football.

The objective is not to favour any candidate. It is to guarantee that every candidate is treated according to the same rules and that no one is permitted to circumvent an established electoral process through undue influence.

Nigerian football deserves a credible election, a rules-based transition and leadership whose legitimacy rests on a transparent democratic process. FIFA should ensure that these principles remain paramount.

I so humbly submit