World Athletics, CAA Affirm 2017 Constitution as AFN’s Working Document

• Set Elective Congress for June 14, Gusau disagrees with terms of resolutions

By Duro Ikhazuagbe

Peace appears far from returning to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) that has been embroiled in leadership tussle in the last four years.

The two warring factions led by Shehu Ibrahim Gusau and Olamide George during the week met with representatives of World Athletics and its African confederate, the CAA who held both Zoom and physical meetings with them at ANOCA office in Abuja.

The original 2017 constitution adopted at the AFN’s Congress of November 16, 2017 was adopted as the operating document for the governance of the federation after the two-day conflict resolution meetings.

The resolutions read inter-alia: “The constitution proposed and approved by the Annual General Congress meeting of the AFN held in Abuja on 16 November 2017 (the AFN constitution) applies and continues to govern the AFN and the executive board shall reaffirm this fact within the state member federations (i.e AFN’s membership).

“By this, the position of a Director General created by the now annulled amended 2017 constitution at an equally annulled congress held in December 2019 is an aberration and the chief administrative and financial officer of the AFN remains the Secretary General as stipulated in article 8.7.2 of the affirmed 2017 constitution.

“It was also resolved that elections into the board of the AFN shall hold on June 14, 2021 with the affirmed 2017 constitution governing the conduct of the election.”

However, with eight elected board members physically present at the meeting, the duo of Gusau and Adeleye who are the leading actors in the crisis, refused to sign the resolutions. They threatened to go ahead with the court case instituted by Gusau.

At the conflict resolution meeting, the faction of the AFN led by Honourable Olamide George pointed to the alleged constitutional infractions committed by Mr Shehu Ibrahim Gusau as well as his alleged violation of World Athletics Integrity Code of Conduct bothering on conflict of interest regarding the payment of the contractual fee by PUMA paid into the bank account of Dynamic Sporting Solutions, a company allegedly owned by a member of the board, Sunday Adeleye who, together with Gusau negotiated the deal reportedly on behalf of the Federation.

The faction alluded to the same infraction committed by Joseph Kinyua and David Okeyo who diverted Athletics Kenya fund to private accounts and got banned for life from track and field activities.