The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has found itself embroiled in a legal tussle as Ahmed Gombe Shuaibu Gara, the Chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association, has moved to block all electoral processes into the executive board of the federation.
His lawsuit, filed against the National Sports Commission, the AFN, as well as outgoing President, Tonobok Okowa and Secretary General, Israel Inwang, challenges the legitimacy of recent congresses and demands compliance with the AFN constitution before any elections can proceed.
At the heart of Gara Gombe’s claims is the alleged disregard for Article 10 of the AFN’s constitution, which governs how congresses should be conducted.
He argues that the congresses held on April 10, 2025, and December 14, 2024, in Bayelsa and Delta State respectively, were not properly constituted, rendering all decisions made during and after them illegal.
One of the decisions was the setting up of the Electoral Committee to kickstart the electoral process.
The Extraordinary Congresses held on both dates were not convened pursuant to article 10.1.5 of the AFN 2023 Constitution which states that ‘all the documents related to the Congress (reports, programmes proposal etc.) shall be sent to the Secretariat of each State member association at least thirty (30) days prior to the Congress.’
Gara Gombe argues that without adherence to legal protocols, any decisions made—including those affecting elections—are null and void.
Further fueling his legal battle is his removal from the AFN’s WhatsApp platform, a move he insists obstructs his rights as chairman representing the Gombe State chapter.
Article 5 (5.5) states that the AFN should ‘strive to ensure that no gender, race, religion, political or other kind of unfair discrimination exists or is allowed to develop in Athletics in any form, and that all may participate in Athletics regardless of their gender, race, religion or political views or any other relevant factor.’
Despite the Constitution stating how a member of either the board or congress of the Federation should be removed, Okowa, unilaterally ordered that Gara Gombe should be exited from the platform for demanding transparency and accountability in the running of the Federation.
He also criticizes financial mismanagement within the federation, particularly the collection of affiliation fees in a private account, which he describes as lacking transparency.
In his writ of summons, Gara Gombe calls for a complete suspension of all election-related activities until the AFN leadership rectifies these alleged violations.
His demands include reinstating him into AFN’s WhatsApp group, releasing financial records from the past five years, and publishing a full list of board members across all affiliated states.
With these pressing allegations, Gara Gombe’s legal challenge poses a significant hurdle for AFN’s ongoing elections.
It also raises serious questions about governance within Nigerian athletics and could have far-reaching consequences for the AFN’s leadership.
