Nwangwu, Ebunam Hail NFF’s Recognition Of Iloenyosi As Anambra FA Chairman
Some football stakeholders in Anambra have reacted to the declaration of Chikelue Iloenyosi, a former international player as the winner of the chairman of Anambra State Football Association (AnSFA) 21 months after the board election.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) in a letter signed by Joshua Onoja, its Election Committee Secretary on July 28 said Iloenyosi won the election which was held on Oct. 30, 2020.
The newly recognised chairman had scored one ‘yes’ vote and 18 ‘no’ votes out of the 19 votes cast being the sole contestant but was not declared winner by the electoral committee.
The Committee said he did not score the highest number of valid votes cast and scheduled a fresh election in another two weeks but the process was suspended indefinitely by the NFF.
Speaking in separate interviews in Awka, they blamed the NFF for the long ‘era of darkness’ in the Anambra FA.
Arthur Ebunam, a former Green Eagle player said the recognition of iloenyosi was a good development for Anambra football.
Ebunam said he was confident that the new chairman had the capacity to drive football in the state and expressed hope that he would do well.
Victor Nwangwu, who served the Anambra FA as secretary for long period said the association had been embroiled in crisis and lack of direction since 2014 and expressed hope Iloenyosi’s chairmanship would bring a lasting end to the dark days.
Nwangwu, a veteran sports administrator said the NFF should have made its decision in Anambra FA long ago rather than keeping the state in the limbo for almost two years.
He said the NFF left Anambra FA in the dark for so long and did not allow the caretaker committee and the vice chairman who acted during the period to operate the FA bank account.
Nwangwu advise that the recognition should be accepted and urged every warring or intending warring factions to sheathe their sword
“Anambra FA has been in turmoil, without direction or progress with so much infighting and rancour; if this development can end all that, it will good
“I urge people to accept the situation as it is and lets move our football forward, how i wish they made that declaration earlier, 21 months is a period too far considering what was lost in that period.
“For all this time the FA could access it’s finance at the bank, even the COVID-19 fuhd sent to the state has not been accesed, that is why we view it as a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
