Legal Hurdle Fails To Halt NFF AGA In Bayelsa As Court Fixes March 31 For Election Case

Legal Hurdle Fails To Halt NFF AGA In Bayelsa As Court Fixes March 31 For Election Case

By Niyi Busari 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will proceed with its Annual General Assembly (AGA) as scheduled on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, despite an ongoing legal challenge seeking to halt the gathering, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Delegates are expected to arrive in Yenagoa on or before Sunday ahead of the Monday's congress, which remains a key statutory event in the federation’s calendar.

Attempts to stop the assembly through legal means were unsuccessful after the Federal High Court in Yenagoa declined an ex-parte application filed by former Super Eagles player Awala Jumbo and legal practitioner Tekena Ediyekio. The applicants had sought an interim order restraining the NFF from conducting the AGA.

During proceedings last Wednesday, the plaintiffs were absent, but their counsel, Runsom Baribote, informed the court that an application dated March 13, 2026, had been filed. In a brief ruling, Justice Emmanuel declined to entertain the application and instead directed that the defendants be put on notice. The case was subsequently adjourned to March 31, 2026, for hearing.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to nullify the NFF elections held on September 30, 2022, and to restrain the current leadership from continuing to administer Nigerian football. Central to their argument is whether the board led by NFF President Ibrahim Gusau remains legally valid in light of a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on January 19, 2024.

A senior NFF official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to BSN Sports, dismissed reports suggesting that the court had stopped the AGA, describing such claims as misleading. The official confirmed that while the federation will appear in court on March 31, the legal proceedings will not affect the scheduled congress in Yenagoa.

The upcoming gathering will also incorporate discussions initially planned for an Extraordinary Congress earlier slated for February 14 but later postponed. The meeting is expected to address pressing administrative, statutory, and policy matters critical to the governance and development of football in Nigeria.

Key issues on the agenda include proposals to expand the NFF Executive Committee and Congress membership. These proposals have already been circulated among stakeholders and are anticipated to generate robust debate.

Preparations for the NFF Elective Congress scheduled for September 2026 will also feature prominently. The election will mark the end of the current administration’s first four-year tenure under Ibrahim Gusau and determine whether the existing board retains leadership or a new executive committee emerges.