“The process is not transparent and Electoral Committee appears to be working on an agenda to disenfranchise certain candidates in favour of others.
It said sale of forms would begin on August 29 but was silent on the venue for the forms’ purchase,” Gombe said.
“Also, the committee is going on with organising the election even as the key aspect of the statutes that should enable expansion of the elective congress has yet to be resolved,” he added. Gombe also faulted the candidates’ screening period fixed for two days after which candidates that are screened out would file protests to have their complaints heard.
“To say the very least, this is chocking and it suggests a premeditated plan by the electoral committee to frustrate some candidates out of the race. It is even most disappointing that the committee did not deem it fit to release a concise guidelines for the election that is supposed to be free, fair and credible,” Gombe also said.
The shrewd football administrator, one of the candidates for the NFF presidency, has led the charge in the effort to broaden the scope of the NFF's current election congress because he feels that doing so would enable Nigeria to develop football as it should.
The former state FA chairman argued that the committee tried to get the candidates to sign away their rights and privileges in the race for the NFF's position, preventing them from going to court about election-related issues by accepting the appeals committee's decision as final. He claimed he would not give up his rights, which are protected by the Nigerian Constitution.
Transparency, accountability, good governance, inclusivity, player welfare, financial independence, grassroots development, staff welfare and professionalism, infrastructural development, and institutional cooperation are among the 10 points on Gombe's agenda..