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Confusion over postponement of bye-election

By Gowon Akpodonor
11 July 2017   |   4:13 am
The bye-election in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Taekwondo, Gymnastics and Weightlifting were scheduled for yesterday following ruling by the Abulrasaq Salau–led appeals committee, which nullified some results of the elections held on June 13.

The bye-election in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Taekwondo, Gymnastics and Weightlifting were scheduled for yesterday following ruling by the Abulrasaq Salau–led appeals committee, which nullified some results of the elections held on June 13.

• Appeals committee can’t hold polls in Dalung’s absence
• AFN’s participation in London 2017 in danger

A major confusion seems to be brewing in some sports federations following another postponement of the bye- elections earlier scheduled for yesterday.

The bye-election in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Taekwondo, Gymnastics and Weightlifting were scheduled for yesterday following ruling by the Abulrasaq Salau–led appeals committee, which nullified some results of the elections held on June 13. The re-run were earlier fixed for July 7, but was moved to yesterday.

And just when the candidates were already on ground in Abuja preparing for the bye-election, another news of postponement came from the appeals committee. A new date of July 20 has been set for the bye-election, while inauguration of the various boards will hold the following day.

A member of the appeals committee, Emmanuel Zira told The Guardian yesterday that the re-run had to be moved forward because the polls cannot be held in the absence of the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, who is in South Korea. “We can’t hold the bye-elections in the absence of the sports minister because there are a lot of issues to be trashed out, and he has to do it before we can go ahead.”

The Guardian learnt yesterday that Dalung, who has just been appointed a member of the advisory committee of the World Youth Ministers Forum in the city of Busan, South Korea, will not return to the country until July 18.

Some members of the affected sports federations are lamenting the decision by the appeal committee to shift the polls a third time.

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