Stakeholders reject False January Tenure Claim, Say NBBF Board Tenure Runs Until October 6, 2026

Basketball stakeholders in the country have rejected the claim that the tenure of the current Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) Board ended in January, describing it as false, unconstitutional, and misleading.

According to them the NBBF Constitution (2019) is clear and unambiguous. Article 8.1 provides that the President and members of the Board shall hold office for a four-year term, noting that the tenure commenced upon lawful inauguration, which is the sole act that confers constitutional authority and executive mandate.

“The current NBBF Board was duly elected and formally inaugurated on 6 October 2022 by the appropriate statutory authority. That date is the only legally recognizable commencement of tenure under the Constitution.

“There is no article, clause, proviso, or saving provision in the NBBF Constitution that supports: A January commencement of tenure; A January expiration of tenure; Any back-dating or recalculation of tenure after inauguration

“The so-called “January tenure” narrative does not exist in law. It is a fabrication.

“Accordingly, pursuant to Article 8.1 of the NBBF Constitution, the four-year tenure of the current Board expires on 6 October 2026, and the next NBBF election must be conducted on or before that date.

They went further to say that any attempt to declare a vacancy, impose an early election, or truncate tenure outside this constitutional timeline is ultra vires, null and void, and a direct assault on constitutional governance in Nigerian basketball.

“The Constitution is binding on all stakeholders. Governance cannot be driven by misinformation, pressure tactics, or invented timelines.

“There is no vacancy. There is no January tenure end. There is no constitutional basis for an early election.

“The mandate of the current NBBF Board remains valid until 6 October 2026”, they said.