Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, first Vice President, Tafida Gadzama has told Tonobok Ojuru Okowa, the President of the Federation he is not desperate to succeed him as the head of the embattled body.
Gadzama said in a statement made available to Sportsnow.com.ng that Okowa should stop hallucinating about any impeachment move against him.
The AFN President has severally accused Gadzama of plotting to remove him and, according to the first AFN Vice President, he restated this in his post on the Whatsapp platform of the AFN Congress.
‘Gara and Amourd you are playing the music of those members that sent you. They only want you to stir up problems on this platform.
‘Gadzama wants to be the President at all course (sic) and and should wait for election and not to continue to plan for impeachment,’ Okowa posted on the platform following criticisms from some congress members that corruption, nepotism, misappropriation and diversion of Sponsor’s funds have become second nature at the federation.
Gadzama says Okowa has always been thinking he would be impeached less than six months into his reign as President of the AFN.
‘Like James Hardley Chase wrote, the guilty are always afraid but what is Okowa afraid of,’ asked the African and Olympic Games gold medalist.
‘Is he saying he has failed as President of the AFN because one of the grounds for impeaching a President of the federation will be non performance.’
Gadzama says Okowa’s fear of a possible impeachment predates the report of its audit committee last year.
Read Also: AFCON 2023: ‘Let’s carry this unity forward ‘- Ahmed Musa tells Nigerians
‘The AFN Audit Committee Report may have only increased his fears, especially the report that he should return to the AFN the 40m naira he was paid as refund for ‘sponsoring’ some events when there was no agreement to that effect.
‘I think the obvious misappropriation, misapplication, mismanagement and diversion of Premium Trust Bank Sponsorship money may have added to his fears because as the President, the bucks stop at its table.
‘He may be wondering how on earth a sponsorship money, meant to organise competitions at home could be said to have been borrowed to finance Nigeria’s participation at the World Athletics Championships,’ said Gadzama who advised that Okowa should be thinking about how to explain this bizarre action instead of focusing on a phantom impeachment.
Gadzama also wants Okowa to focus on how to improve the welfare of athletes and officials.
‘For over six months now, officials who officiated at our national trials in Benin have not been their allowances while a few coaches are also owed for attending international competitions,’ Gadzama added.
