What appears another ‘crisis’ may be brewing in the path of the newly elected board of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), if the Chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe’s words are anything to go by.

The AFN election held in Abuja, on Thursday, June 12, saw the re-election of Tonobok Okowa as President with two new Vice Presidents. The two former Vice Presidents, Tafida Gadzama and Rosa Collins-Okah, did not bother to contest election into the board this time around.

Gara-Gombe told The Guardian, yesterday, that there was a court motion on notice to stop the election, but the people ignored it.

“You can’t rubbish our judicial system and get away with it,” Gara-Gombe said. “Those celebrating victory as board members of the AFN will be shocked to discover in the coming days that they actually laboured in vain. The long arm of the judiciary will catch up with them no matter how they try to manoeuvre the system.”

Gara-Gombe said that he is contesting the legality of the AFN’s extraordinary congresses held on December 14, 2024, in Bayelsa and April 10, 2025, in Delta State, adding that the elections contravened ‘legal and constitutional process.’

“All the congresses violated Article 10.1.5 of the AFN Constitution, which mandates that all relevant documents be sent to state associations at least 30 days before any congress. Their failure to follow this protocol renders all decisions made, including the formation of the Electoral Committee null and void.

“A motion on notice was even served by a Federal High Court bailiff to all the relevant bodies, including the AFN, challenging the legitimacy of the board elections, but they ignored it. Even in the animal kingdom, they have some rules guiding them not to talk of a great Nation like Nigeria. People must learn how to follow simple legal and procedural rules. We are not in a banana republic,” Gara-Gombe stated.

The AFN elections were initially slated for May 31 in Asaba, Delta State, but the National Sports Commission (NSC) recommended it be moved to a neutral venue in Abuja.