Daniel Imadojemu Reporting.
An alleged attempt to forcefully install Prof. Darlington Obaseki, the current Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and brother of the Edo state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the new chairman by the state Football Association is currently causing discomfort within the football fraternity in the state.
Darlington Obaseki who many believe knows next to nothing in football administration and management is said to be the favorite of his brother, the governor to become the chairman of the FA through an election to be held in March.
The Secretariat of the football association released a statement signed by Mr. Ajibola Emmanuel, the Secretary, announcing a timetable for the conduct of the election into the FA from the three zones of the state, Edo South, Edo Central, and Edo North, starting with zonal congresses.
The statement released by the FA and signed by the head of the media department reads in parts:
“Ahead of the Edo state football Association elective congress next month, I have been directed to inform the general public, that the sales of forms for the various positions have since ended”.
“However the extension for the collection of forms ended on Tuesday, February 7th, 2023, just as the return of the completed forms ends on Friday, February 10th, 2023, at the Edo state Football Association secretariat, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin city.”
According to the Secretary of the Edo FA, 19 persons picked the forms for the various positions, which include the current Edo FA chairman comrade Roland Abu, Victor Teddy Egbon, Johnbull Edosomwan and Fred Newton for the chairmanship position and fifteen others for the vice chairman and membership positions, with former Super Eagles forward Julius Aghahowa contesting for the position of the vice chairman”
The Edo state FA election will be held on the 3rd of March 2023.
Though the date fixed for the election is said to be in doubt, True Live News investigation revealed that Darlington Obaseki was not even among those who purchased the nomination forms which qualify one to contest for the election, but banking on the influence of his brother the governor to muscle the rest aspirants who have purchased their forms to step down for him.
A former member of the association who was also a coach at the FA at some point told Truth Live News that the idea of trying to impose the brother of the governor who is still engaged as the CMD of UBTH would also create a constitutional crisis in the association and destroy the achievements the association has recorded in the past.
He said: “Why must the CMD think he must become the FA chairman? Why must he be using the position of the brother to contest other contestants when he did not even buy the form? A man who knows nothing about football, the football stakeholder who pleaded for anonymity queried.
This is just greed as far as we are concerned and we must resist him.
Ask if he is sure that the rumour was true, the coach responded: “well, it has better been a lie, because we won’t accept that nepotism in sports, and a man who is still in service at the UBTH cannot be using the name of his brother the governor as a tool of intimidation.