Sports federation election: the danger of allowing 3rd term to serving presidents of national sports federations in Nigeria
There was no level playing ground – ATULA
Contrary to the Information coming out from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, that there was a level playing ground for all contestants at the just concluded sports federation election, a stakeholder and Chairman of the Edo State Wrestling Association, Mr. Morris Atula, has debunked that claim. Morris Atula, known around the world as Golden Warrior, was the Former World Light-Heavy Weight Pro Wrestling Champion and title holder with a good amateur wrestling background as a practitioner and coach.
Morris Atula
The Golden Warrior debunked the claim in a press release where he described the continued changing of the electoral guidelines and the inclusion of a third term for serving presidents of Nigerian Wrestling Federation as most unfortunate.
He pointed out that allowing the president to serve a third term will deny others the opportunity to show what they can do and achieve, stressing the fact that it will affect sports development negatively “because the person going for the third term will have no new ideas to introduce and implement to the development of the sports”.
Morris Atula, the Golden Warrior as former World Light Heavyweight champion and title holder.
He accused the Sports Minister Sunday Dare of undue interference with ongoing Sport Federations election by including third term, change of voters from Directors of sports to chairmen of sports associations.
Morris Atula, who is also the Chairman of Edo State Wrestling Association, wondered why the guidelines kept changing to favour some contestants. “Why should the goal post be shifted while the match was already on; it makes nonsense of the whole exercise,” he added.
Morris Atula as a pro wrestling administrator, presentation of an award to Mr. Tony Abass a wrestling promoter.
He maintained that the election into the board of Nigeria Wrestling Federation is not free and fair because there was no level playing ground for all the contestants at all. He decried the interference from the Ministry of Youth and Sports as unfortunate and uncalled for, noting that sports is result oriented, therefore should be treated as such. ‘’This is the first time in the history of sports in Nigeria something like this is happening[…] all of us witnessed the attempt by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to have third term tenure and how the people aborted the dream and made sure it never saw the light of the day, I expect all concerned this time, sports men and women including sports journalists in particular to take up this issue squarely” he concluded.
He called on the Sports Minister to rise to the occasion and remove the third term agenda that was smuggled overnight into the guidelines and allow for free and fair elections to take place for proper sports development in Nigeria emphasising that halting the election process is a criminality against sports development in Nigeria.
