YUCATECO boss, walks out of NBF Annual General Meeting, protests against plans to manipulate electoral rules
The Chief Executive Officer of YUCATECO Boxing League, Omonlei Yakubu Imadu, Monday, May, 26, 2025, walked out from the Annual General Meeting of Nigeria Boxing Federation, holding in Abeokuta , Ogun State, accusing some of the board members of trying to smuggle in some clauses in the election guidelines that will prevent certain individuals from contesting the forthcoming board election of the Federation.
A visibly angry Imodu, told journalist that he took the decision to register his displeasure with the antics of some of the board members who want to perpetuate themselves in office; saying he doesn’t want to be a party to wrong doings.
Imadu, who also doubles as the President of Boxing Promoters Association of Nigeria (BPAN) and well known across the country and the African continent for using his boxing league to change the face of amateur boxing, insisted that he will do all within his powers to ensure that the coming election in the NBF follows due process.
He stressed that if boxing in Nigeria must move forward, then the board must be occupied by credible persons ready to sacrifice for the good of the sport just as he accused a certain board member, who have spent over 35 years on the board without any meangful contributions of trying to manipulate the process and even threatening to stop the boxing league
“I decided to walk out of the meeting when I discovered that certain individuals who do not want the sports to move forward are bent on introducing some clauses that will prevent genuine stakeholders from contesting election.
” What am saying is that the election must follow due process to enable us get a credible board and I want to urge the NSC not to allow anybody to manipulate the process.
“We must all follow and encourage the good vision of National Sports Commission Chairman, Mallam Dikko Shehu and the Director General, Bukola Olopade who have been very objective from the beginning, to restructure the system so that sponsors and private individuals can come in for the sports to grow
Imadu, while welcoming the AGM which took place for the first time in several years,insisted that his venture into boxing promotion is to help the abandoned youth build their boxing career for good and not to be used by those who are just in boxing administration for their selfish interest.
“Actually, I’ m happy that this AGM is holding after several years but what am saying is that things must be done properly for the interest of the game.
“I’m a boxing stakeholder and what is important to me is the development of talented Nigerian pugilists and creating enabling environment for them to excel I’m their career.
“And in doing this, , we have to protect them. I am more or less like the voice for the voiceless as far as boxing is concerned, because one of the systemic problems that I’ve identified that actually made me come into boxing is that the majority of the people who are practicing this game from the grassroots, are illiterates.
” Many of them didn’t go to school. And the few among us, the boxing stakeholders, tend to take advantage of them. They manipulate them and that’s why the system is not developing and am here to change that narrative and will do all within my powers to ensure that the right things are done”, he concluded
