NSC Cancels Gymnastics, Judo, Shooting Federation Elections

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has cancelled the elections conducted by the Gymnastics, Judo and Shooting Federations, citing irregularities and lack of compliance with established guidelines.

The NSC has announced that affected federations will conduct fresh polls on October 18 in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Director of Press at the NSC, Dr Kehinde Ajayi, explained that the annulled elections failed to reflect the principle of inclusive representation required by Nigeria’s sports governance framework.

He outlined that the Commission insists on full representation from 14 constituencies in every federation board. These include six zonal representatives, one athlete representative, one technical representative, one representative each from the military or paramilitary, NAWIS, NAPHER-SD, as well as one sponsor and one AFFAN representative.

Speaking on the decision, NSC Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade underlined the importance of inclusivity in sports administration.

“We want to make it categorically clear that none of the 14 constituencies will be excluded from the governance structure of any federation. Inclusiveness remains non-negotiable,” he said.

Under the new directive, the Gymnastics and Judo Federations must first conduct their zonal elections before proceeding to national polls. The Shooting Federation, which has already completed its zonal process, will move directly to electing its President and Vice President.

The Commission also stressed that the October elections will be closely monitored. Stakeholders, observers and the NSC itself are expected to play an active role in ensuring that the process is transparent and credible.