Newly elected Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) president Dr Mustapha Abdullahi has dismissed allegations of electoral irregularities raised by fellow presidential candidate Ejike Ugboaja, insisting that Thursday’s election was transparent, peaceful and credible.
Abdullahi, who also serves as Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, maintained that the electoral process represented a significant departure from previous NBBF leadership contests, which had been marked by divisions and competing claims to authority.
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“For the first time in the history of election of basketball, NBBF election, we’ve had a free and a very, very fair election,” Abdullahi declared.
“No violence. Every stakeholder had a consensus and got together in one room to elect its own leadership. It has never happened before.”
The new president contrasted Thursday’s exercise with previous elections that produced parallel leadership structures and disagreements among basketball stakeholders.
He credited cooperation between the National Sports Commission and the federation for what he described as a successful process.
“Both the National Sports Commission and the NBBF came together and conducted a free and a very fair election,” he stated.
Addressing concerns about divisions within Nigerian basketball, Abdullahi pledged to prioritise reconciliation during his first three months in office.
“My first assignment in the first three months is to bring every basketball stakeholder and family together,” he explained.
“The aggrieved, the losers, everybody to me are winners.”
He confirmed that he had already reached out to dissatisfied stakeholders, inviting them to participate in rebuilding the federation.
“I’ve already extended hands of friendship to them. Come on board, let’s work together,” Abdullahi said.
The NBBF president also dismissed suggestions that his public service responsibilities would prevent him from effectively leading the federation.
“The board position is not a full-time job. You don’t have to be on the board to develop or to bring something to basketball,” he stated.
While Ugboaja has challenged the election’s credibility, Abdullahi insists the process was fair and says his immediate priority is uniting stakeholders to advance Nigerian basketball.
