How Losing Presidential Aspirants Got Back Over $400,000 From Delegates Who Tried To Play A Fast One

The drama must be told of how horribly wrong it went for two so-called leading Presidential Aspirants to buy their way to the NFF Presidency as well as how they had to rally round to ensure they got refunds from delegates after it finally dawned on them that most of the voters had played a fast one on them.

It was rumoured by the eve of the NFF Elections that one of the leading aspirants from the North was supremely confident he was the man to succeed his friend Amaju Pinnick as NFF President as he had personally “guaranteed” 30 votes, a tally that was far in excess of the 50%+1 (23 votes in a 44-person Congress) required by the NFF Statutes to win this polls.

Such was his confidence that he was the one who openly lectured the Sports Minister on the supremacy of FIFA Statutes over any local laws during the parley with Presidential aspirants.

Some of the delegates received their $10,000 each personally from him in Abuja and that was after they had also sworn an oath they will vote for him.

The majority of the voting delegates got their raw cash in Benin mainly through their zonal co-ordinators.

But on Election Day, the truth came to bite the Presidential hopefuls after they were both beaten flatly for Ibrahim Gusau to be elected the new NFF President.  

Before you can shout ‘NFF!’, one of the beaten aspirants had hired thugs to retrieve his cash for him.

Delegates from the South West were among the first targets in this Operation Give-Me-Back-My-Money.

One of the delegates, who is a serving FA Chairman and eventually got back to the Executive Committee only by the skin of his teeth, did not make much fuss when he gave back his $10,000.

Another FA Chairman also returned his $10,000 after much persuasion including pleas by a top NFF protocol staff member.

However, the most dramatic refund was only enforced by 4am on Saturday, when the delegate, a titled chief for that matter, planned to bolt away with his own $10,000 only for him to be blocked at the hotel car park.

And it still took another two hours before he surrendered the money.

It was further understood that one of these aspirants had a shouting match with another FA Chairman, who got back to the NFF Board, after he had failed on his promise to deliver at least 10 votes.

This FA Chairman, who is now known as a two-timer, collected $50,000 from him and also collected another $30,000 from another losing Presidential aspirant.

It is not yet known whether both aspirants also forced him to cough out a refund.