In-Fighting Tears NBBF Apart as Stakeholders Accuse Outgoing Board of Misconduct

Posted : 03 February 2026

Nigeria’s basketball administration has been thrown into deep turmoil as Congress members of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) formally accused the outgoing Board of breaching the Federation’s Constitution and illegally remaining in power beyond its lawful tenure.

In a strongly worded petition to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), representatives of State Basketball Associations and other statutory members of the NBBF Congress declared that the Board elected on January 31, 2022, has no legal or moral authority to continue in office after its tenure expired on January 31, 2026.

The petitioners, who describe Congress as the supreme organ of the Federation, insist that the 2019 NBBF Constitution—drafted with input from FIBA, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), and the then Ministry of Youth and Sports—remains the only valid statute guiding basketball administration in Nigeria.

According to the document, the 2022 NBBF elections were peacefully conducted, observed by FIBA, and universally endorsed. Board members were sworn in immediately at the venue, marking the start of their four-year tenure in line with Articles 21.8 and 23.10 of the Constitution.

However, stakeholders say the crisis began with what they describe as deliberate constitutional violations by NBBF President Engineer Ahmadu Musa Kida.

The petition alleges that no Annual General Meeting or Congress was convened between 2022 and 2026, breaching Article 20.2, which mandates at least one Congress annually, with the fourth being an Elective Congress. Even more concerning, the President is accused of failing to convene Board meetings for over a year, despite constitutional provisions requiring quarterly sessions. The last Board meeting reportedly took place in late 2024, leaving the Federation effectively paralysed.

Stakeholders argue that this breakdown was deliberate. “The outgoing president turned himself into a sole administrator in order to perpetuate himself in office,” the petition stated.

Tensions escalated at a stakeholders’ meeting on January 9, 2026, attended by the National Sports Commission (NSC), NOC officials, Board members, and other stakeholders. A representative of the President attempted to justify extending the Board’s tenure to October 2026, claiming the Board was inaugurated by the Minister of Sports in October 2022. That argument was overwhelmingly rejected.

Congress members insisted that the Constitution is explicit: tenure begins from the date of election and swearing-in, not ministerial inauguration. Documentary evidence presented at the meeting also contradicted claims that the Board was prevented from functioning before October 2022.

At the same meeting, all parties reportedly agreed that the President should convene a Board meeting within five days and trigger the process for an Elective Congress within ten days, with elections to be concluded by March 31, 2026. That timeline has since elapsed without action.

For Congress members, this failure confirms one conclusion: Nigeria currently has no legitimate NBBF Board.

Invoking Article 35 of the NBBF Constitution, which recognises FIBA as the supreme authority for global basketball, the petitioners urged the world governing body to step in immediately. They requested that FIBA:

Declare that the outgoing NBBF President and Board have exceeded their tenure and must vacate office.
Authorise the NSC and NOC to conduct fresh elections for the 2026–2030 Board using the 2019 Constitution, on or before March 31, 2026.

“We must not allow beneficiaries of illegality to profit from the crisis they created,” the petition warned.

As Nigerian basketball waits anxiously, the ball is now firmly in FIBA’s court, with the future stability of the sport hanging in the balance.

In-Fighting Tears NBBF Apart as Stakeholders Accuse Outgoing Board of Misconduct

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