By Favour Itua

A fresh controversy has erupted following the election of former Nigerian sprinter, Fatimah Yusuf Olukoju, as the National Association of Women in Sports (NAWIS) Representative on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) board, as her sole opponent, Dr. Nneka Anibeze, has petitioned the outcome over alleged eligibility breaches.

Olukoju emerged winner of the tightly contested poll held on Monday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, polling 30 votes to Anibeze’s 15.

However, in a formal petition submitted to the AFN, NAWIS, and the National Sports Commission (NSC), Anibeze challenged the validity of Olukoju’s candidacy, claiming that she failed to meet the eligibility criteria stipulated in the electoral guidelines.

“Before the election, I raised concerns over several irregularities in the voting process,” Anibeze told reporters. “Specifically, I referenced Article 7.0 of the AFN guidelines and 5.0 of the NSC’s, which require proof of six-month residency in Nigeria prior to the election.”

She also alleged that her protest was downplayed by the NAWIS leadership despite warning them ahead of the polls. “Last night, I told them I would file a protest, and they tried to dissuade me. But I went ahead and submitted it to the Electoral Petition Committee, copying the AFN, NAWIS, and the NSC Director-General,” she said.

Further compounding her grievances, Anibeze claimed that delegates from Gombe, Niger, and Bayelsa states who supported her were barred from voting without justification.

“They were told they weren’t eligible to vote, while those they couldn’t disqualify were allowed. My contention remains that Olukoju should not have been eligible to contest in the first place,” she added.

In her reaction, NAWIS President, Mariam Sulieman, maintained that the election was free and fair, urging members to unite behind the winner in promoting women and girls in sports.

While the NAWIS Electoral Committee said it had not officially received the petition, an AFN official confirmed that the protest letter had indeed been submitted and acknowledged.