Dalung Brakes Silence on AFN Crisis - Latest Sports in Nigeria

Dalung Blames AFN Crisis on Ibrahim Gusau

...Confirms Sunday Adeleye Removal While n Office

By Niyi Busari

The immediate past Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung has said that the suspended Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) president, Shehu Ibrahim Gusau should be blamed for the crisis in the federation.

Dalung explained that Gusau's failure to carry the board members along aggravated the crisis, the crisis which according to him started immediately after the federation's election in 2017. He added that, following the rejection of election result, one of the aggrieved member went to Court of Arbitration For Sports (CAS) to challenge the election but he lost the case and failure to accept defeat brought about division among board members.

Speaking with www.bsnsports.com.ng in his home in Abuja, the ex-minister said:

"The crisis of AFN started while i was in office, immediately after their election the Board divided over the result of election." Dalung told BSN Sports.

"One of the board members went to CAS and joined Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports as defendant and it was the ministry that paid the legal fees. At CAS, he lost the case and the division as a result of not accepting defeat aggravated the crisis and was compounded by by the president of AFN, Shehu Gusau, because immediately after the inauguration he failed to carry every member along. So, he was running the Board with only two members, Sunday Adeleye and Solomon Ogba."

He alleged that three of them took charge of the federation's fund.

"The funds received from government and from international Associations was managed by the three of them.

"And while this was happening, nobody told me anything and as a result i didnt know anything. My attention was called when the majority of the Board members who were not carried along wanted to suspend the president.

"I invited the aggrieved members and advised them to go and put their house in order.

Dalung confirmed the removal of Sunday Adeleye as Athletes Representative by the athletes who voted him into the board.

"While this was going on, the congress of athletes (the constituency that elected Sunday Adeleye as Athletes Representative), met and decided that they have removed him (Sunday Adeleye) as their representative.

"When the removal letter of the athletes to remove Sunday Adeleye as Athletes Rep. was sent to me, i sent it back to the legal department, who reviewed and then wrote legal advise, that removal of Sunday Adeleye followed due process of the adopted AFN constitution and so it is valid. After my approval, it was sent to the permanent secretary, Olushade Adesola, to communicate to the Board, because the ministry lacks the power to remove him (Sunday Adeleye), only the board can."

"So, they (Board) served him the letter of removal and that was where i left but immediately i left office, the ministry conveyed another meeting and overruled the decision with the claim that they have reconciled different groups in the federation."

He concluded.