NFF: Congress no longer standing
Retold by Oddsrama · 1 September 2026
The Nigeria Football Federation has declared its congress effectively dissolved following a major upheaval at the top level of the organisation. Acting general secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme confirmed in correspondence to the electoral committee chair that the resignation of the entire NFF executive committee, headed by Ibrahim Gusau, has forced a complete halt to all activities tied to the scheduled September 27 elections.
This is no small matter for Nigerian football governance. The congress serves as the nerve centre for decision-making across the sport in the country, so its suspension signals a serious reset is underway. Rather than push ahead with elections, the federation now plans to undertake wide-ranging structural and administrative reforms—starting from the grassroots with local council elections before anything else moves forward.
To oversee this overhaul, a Normalisation Committee will be established within the coming days, the NFF stated. The setup will happen following consultations with both FIFA and CAF, the continental body, ensuring international football's governing bodies are kept in the loop as Nigerian football charts a new course. For anyone tracking the domestic game, expect a prolonged period of institutional rebuilding before things settle into a new normal.
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