Three presidential aspirants in the forthcoming Nigeria Basketball Federation elections have petitioned President Bola Tinubu, seeking urgent intervention over alleged irregularities and constitutional violations in the electoral process for the 2026–2030 term.
The aspirants accused the outgoing NBBF President, Ahmadu Musa Kida, who is also the Chairman of NNPC Limited, of allegedly manipulating the electoral process to favour his preferred candidate, Mustapha Abdullahi, Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
The petition, dated October 12, 2026, was also copied to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The petition was jointly signed by Igoche Mark, a presidential aspirant representing the North-Central; Olumide Oyedeji, a presidential aspirant and South-West representative; and Ejike Ugboaja, a presidential aspirant representing the South-East.
The petitioners expressed concern over the conduct of the elections, alleging that the federation’s leadership had embarked on the removal and replacement of legitimate state association chairmen and delegates ahead of the forthcoming congresses.
“Barely two weeks to the Extraordinary and Elective Congresses, over fifteen legitimate State Basketball Association Chairmen and representatives have been arbitrarily removed and replaced with unqualified persons to secure votes for his preferred candidate,” the petitioners alleged.
They listed Zamfara, Kaduna, Gombe, Benue, Kwara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Niger, Edo and Taraba among the states allegedly affected by the changes.
The aspirants further alleged that the changes were facilitated by financial inducements and abuse of influence, with the support of some state governors. They also claimed that some candidates had been excluded from positions they applied for by the electoral committee.
The petitioners described the alleged actions as contrary to the principles of fairness, equity and the provisions of the NBBF Constitution.
They also questioned Abdullahi’s eligibility to lead the federation while serving as the head of a Federal Government agency, arguing that his official responsibilities could conflict with the demands of the NBBF presidency.
Citing the 2026 edition of the Public Service Rules, the aspirants argued that restrictions on outside commercial activities and engagements by public servants raised questions about the suitability of a serving agency chief executive for the position.
“We are concerned that Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, being a serving public officer heading a critical Federal Government agency, may not have the full commitment which the leadership of the NBBF demands,” the petition stated.
The petitioners called on Tinubu to direct the National Sports Commission to suspend the electoral process and investigate the allegations before the elections take place.
“In view of the foregoing, we humbly appeal to Your Excellency to kindly direct the National Sports Commission (NSC) to halt the process and investigate these breaches before any election takes place,” they said.
They added that the intervention was necessary to ensure transparency, fairness and compliance with the federation’s constitution, as well as protect the integrity of Nigerian basketball.
The allegations were contained in the petition submitted by the three aspirants. The petition did not establish whether the NBBF leadership or Abdullahi had responded to the claims.
