NFF Election Reset: Local Councils, State FAs to go first before new Executive Board Poll
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is heading for a major electoral reset, with elections into local football councils and State Football Associations expected to precede the eventual election of a new NFF Executive Committee.
The development emerged from a letter of appreciation signed by the NFF Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, to the Chairman of the NFF Electoral Committee (Temporary) Secretariat, following the suspension of the previously scheduled September 27 elective congress.
In the letter dated August 28, 2026, Ikpeme stated that the sweeping changes in the federation had created the opportunity for structural reforms directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Acting General Secretary specifically disclosed that the planned reforms would alter the existing electoral sequence, with the process beginning at the grassroots level.
“This means that even the Congress of Nigeria Football is no longer standing, as planned reforms towards a new Elective Congress will start with Local Council elections,” Ikpeme stated.
The disclosure provides the clearest indication yet that the next NFF election will not simply be a replacement poll following the resignation of the federation’s former leadership, but could follow a completely restructured electoral process.
Under the emerging arrangement, elections are expected to begin with Local Football Council elections, followed by State Football Association elections, before delegates eventually elect a new NFF Executive Committee.
The development follows the resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s Executive Committee on August 27, effectively bringing the electoral process for the September 27 congress to a halt.
Ikpeme, in the letter, described the resignations as having had “an impact of seismic proportions on Nigeria Football’s ecosystem”, adding that all processes geared towards the September 27 elective congress had consequently come to a halt.
He further explained that the departures had opened the way for the structural reforms being pursued by the Federal Government.
“The departures have paved way for structural and other forms of reforms that have been directed by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR,” he wrote.
The letter also revealed that an interim administration had been put in charge of the NFF Secretariat while consultations were being prepared with the international football authorities.
“An interim administration has been put in charge of the NFF Secretariat, with a Normalization Committee to be instituted after consultations with world football-governing body, FIFA and the continent’s football-governing body, CAF in a few days,” Ikpeme stated.
The proposed Normalisation Committee is expected to play a central role in determining the roadmap for the reforms, including the electoral framework and timetable for the eventual NFF elections. The emerging process is expected to run from local councils through State FAs before culminating in the election of a new NFF Executive Committee.
The development, however, is likely to trigger significant reactions within the existing NFF Congress, whose members had been constituted under the current electoral structure and were preparing for the September 27 elective congress.
It remains to be seen how the current NFF Congress members will react to the position now taken by the Acting General Secretary, particularly against the backdrop of the stance of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and its push for structural reforms in Nigerian football.
The question is particularly significant because the proposed grassroots-to-national electoral process could potentially alter the composition of the NFF Congress itself, meaning that some of the current delegates may not necessarily constitute the same electoral college when the new NFF Executive Committee election eventually takes place.
While the Acting General Secretary has stated that the existing Congress is “no longer standing” under the proposed reform process, the extent to which current Congress members accept, challenge or seek clarification on the development remains to be seen.
The reforms are expected to address longstanding concerns surrounding the structure of football administration, stakeholder representation and the credibility of the electoral process.
The development effectively means that stakeholders who had been preparing for the September 27 NFF poll will have to wait for a new electoral roadmap after the reform process is concluded.
The emerging bottom-up approach could significantly reshape the administration of Nigerian football, as individuals and bodies emerging from the grassroots and State FA elections would eventually form the electoral base for the new national federation leadership.
Ikpeme thanked members of the temporary Electoral Committee for their sacrifice and commitment, particularly after they had abandoned their businesses and other engagements to oversee the now-suspended process.
“The sacrifice and service of yourself and other Members of the Committee to Nigeria Football will never be forgotten,” he said, while acknowledging their “sincerity, assiduity and diligence” in handling the assignment.
The new direction marks a potentially historic moment for Nigerian football administration, with the focus shifting from merely replacing the resigned NFF leadership to potentially rebuilding the federation’s electoral architecture from the grassroots upwards.
But with the existing Congress now facing an uncertain future and the NSC maintaining its reform position, the next phase could be as politically delicate as it is administratively significant.
For the proposed reforms to succeed, the process will have to balance the Federal Government’s reform agenda with the requirements of FIFA and CAF, while ensuring that the eventual elections are transparent, credible and broadly acceptable to Nigeria’s football stakeholders.
Join the Savid News channel on WhatsApp:
