How Pinnick Plans To Gate Crash For Third Term As NFF President
It is now as clear as crystal that Amaju Pinnick will seek a third term in office despite the many disasters he has led Nigeria Football to in the last eight years and even after a public declaration by him that he won’t be on the ballot.
Pinnick has finalised his plan to extend his tenure for additional four years employing three key strategies –
1.Vote-buying as usual
This has always been customary to his emergence first in 2014 and his re-election four years later. The NFF Congress is already warming up for another ‘Dollar Rain’ courtesy of Mr. Pinnick. ‘Ghana Must Go’ sacks were everywhere in Warri in 2014 and why not because $700,000 was released by the Delta State Government headed by his brother-in-law? Each Congress Member pocketed $10,000. And for re-election in Katsina, delegates also went back home with between 10,000 to 15,000 US Dollars in their pockets. Pinnick’s war chest was put at around $800,000. Besides the cash, Pinnick has already got some Members of the NFF Elective Congress to be on trips for international competitions like the delayed 2021 AFCON in Cameroon and most recently the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco. No fewer than a dozen FA Chairmen, who include Executive Committee Members, were in Morocco for a “Good Time”. He also plans to get more Congress Members as well as top Government officials as well as Members of the National Assembly to enjoy the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November even though the Super Eagles under his watch failed to qualify for the tournament.
2. Disqualification of close rivals
Pinnick has already informed some Stakeholders that he will disqualify other aspirants for the top post. It is an open secret that the NFF President and his 1st Vice President are in rival camps now, while other top officials who will threaten his return to office will most likely not be on the ballot on some technicalities.
3. Postponing the polls till 2023
It has already been reported that Pinnick is doing everything to extend his tenure at least till January 2023. This new date for fresh elections will buy him more time to perfect his plans to hang on to power and the new timing will suit him most because by then the Government, which is the ruling party, will be so preoccupied with the General Elections in February than for them to be concerned about the little matter of football elections.
In the coming weeks, more strategies and tricks that Pinnick believes will get him re-elected will be laid bare as Nigeria Football again looks doomed for another long-drawn crisis because of a single person’s greed and insecurity.
