Olarere, Gymnastics Elders, Stakeholders Reject Closed Door meeting settlement.

As various Sports Federations prepare to hold their election on Saturday 25th, October, 2025 at the MKO Abiola National Stadium Abuja, stakeholders of Nigeria Gymnastics Federation have called on the leadership of the National Sports Commission to ensure election is conducted for the federation, so that credible persons will be elected to pilot it’s affairs for the next four years.

In a press conference they held Tuesday in Lagos, Chairperson Southwest Gymnastics Alhaja Mrs. Kafilat Omowunmi Olarere who is gunning for the President of the Federation said that a properly organized election must be conducted so as to enable genuine stakeholders elect the next president of the Federation.

According to her the supposedly held election by the outgoing President, Kelvin Erhumunse which he claimed returned him for a third term cannot stand because it was a kangaroo election in which major stakeholders like paramilitary, National Association For Women In Sports, retired women in sports and Nigeria Association for Physical, Health Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance ( NAPHER-SD) were not represented.

Alhaja Olarere who had been on the board of the Federation for the past four years during which time she organised some competitions in her zone explained that although, the National Sports Commission called for a peace meeting where she was offered the position of 2nd Vice President after which she told them she will consult her constituency before taking any decision, said all she is asking for is that a proper election should be organized to enable stakeholders elect a president of their choice.

“It’s quite unfortunate that the incumbent president who has been on the saddle for eight years went and organized a kangaroo election where he shut out genuine stakeholders of the game. Even myself and other stakeholders were not aware of that election he claimed to have organized and I made my stand known to the NSC

” But I’m happy that we have a listening leadership in the NSC , who issued a press statement cancelling that election and invited us to Abuja for a peace meeting.

” At that meeting after listening to us, they offered me the position of 2nd Vice President but I told them that I will consult my constituency before taking any decision.

“And after consultations in the Southwest, South East and North Central, everybody agreed that we should go to the polls for a transparent, free and fair election and that’s my stand”, she stressed.

The Presidential aspirant who said she’s offering herself for service inorder to take the sports to a higher pedestal lamented that the sports is suffering at the grassroots with many of the coaches getting old, retired or about to retire as well as the sports not getting the required recognition it deserves both nationally and internationally.

” There’s no denying the fact that gymnastics in the country under the present leadership is going down steadily. Many parents whose children are participating in the game are not happy with the turn of events and that’s unacceptable.

” Most of our coaches are getting old, some have retired while others are about to retire and many instead of working for government are now taking appointment in private schools to sustain themselves and we need to bring them back and move the sports forward”, she stated.

Former Technical Director of the Federation, Ben Alonge who joined the press conference virtually noted that the Federation has suffered for eight years and the NSC must do the right thing by ensuring that a proper election is organized as that’s the only way to move gymnastics forward in the country.
Other stakeholders, Tosun Odumosun and Bashiru Hassan also lend their voices to having a proper election for the Federation