The Anambra State Football Association (AnSFA) has dismissed an appeal by Chikelue Iloenyosi, a Chairmanship Candidate in the Oct. 30 board election, on the ground that it was not validly filed.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Iloenyosi, who ran as a sole candidate, was not returned as winner.
He was adjudged not to have polled the simple majority of votes cast at the election as stipulated in the electoral guideline.
Dissatisfied with the development, Iloenyosi petitioned AnSFA, arguing that as a sole candidate in the election, he should be declared winner.
He also claimed to have scored the only valid votes cast in the election.
But rising from its 2020 Extra Ordinary General Assembly in Awka on Monday, AnSFA threw out the petition, saying that Iloenyosi did not pay money either in cash or electronically to the FA.
The assembly held that the lapse contravened Article 244 of the AnSFA statute 2015.
It further resolved that a by-election be conducted to fill the five vacant positions of the nine-member electoral board and three Local Government Football Councils by February 2021.
Meanwhile, the Election Appeal Committee had earlier declared the election valid but ruled that Iloenyosi did not win.
It rather called for a runoff to be conducted within 14 days, with effect from Nov. 16.
The committee further resolved that only candidates, who were cleared for the election, should stand for the second ballot.
Earlier, the Vice Chairman of AnSFA, Victor Aniekwena, assured the Anambra football community of a busy and competitive football in 2021.
He said the state Football League, with the theme: ‘My Anambra football Super 8 Tournament’, would be executed to develop grassroots football.
According to him, from the first quarter of 2021, we will set the ball rolling, engage our elite clubs and get them adequately prepared from the beginning of each season.
“The Anambra State Gold Cup will commence from next pre-season. We have plans also to train referees and coaches in the state.
“There are plans for youth tournaments as well as schools tournaments for boys and girls.
“We are promising that there will be no dull moment for the game in Anambra,” Aniekwena said.
“It is important for this congress to embrace the new dispensation because it will help focus our energies more on football development and less on discussing football politics and issues of bad governance,” he said.
NAN reports that the AnSFA general assembly was attended by Aniekwena, three other board members and 20 of the 23 congress’s members.
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