NBBF congress members petition FIBA over alleged tenure breach, seek fresh elections

More than two-thirds of members of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Congress have formally written to International Basketball Federation, seeking approval for the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) to convene an Extraordinary Congress of the federation, Sport360NG reports.

In a petition dated 1 February 2026 and signed by 33 Congress members, the signatories accused the outgoing NBBF board, led by its president Engineer Musa Kida, of constitutional violations and unlawfully extending its tenure beyond its approved term.

The petitioners stated that the Kida-led board completed its second and final four-year term on 31 January 2026, having been elected on 31 January 2022. Citing Articles 21.8 and 23.10 of the NBBF Constitution, they argued that the board no longer has legal or moral authority to remain in office.

In the letter, titled “Breach of Constitution and Illegal Extension of Tenure by the Board of the NBBF,” the Congress members alleged that the board failed to convene any Congress or Annual General Meeting between 2022 and 2026, contrary to Article 20.2 of the constitution, which requires at least one Congress annually, with the fourth designated as an elective Congress.

They further alleged that the NBBF president had not convened board meetings for more than a year, in violation of Article 21.9, which mandates a minimum of four board meetings annually. According to the petitioners, the last known board meeting was held in late 2024.

The Congress members claimed that the absence of meetings and congresses led to a breakdown in communication and stagnation of basketball activities across the country. They accused the outgoing president of operating as a sole administrator in a deliberate attempt to remain in office beyond the constitutionally permitted tenure.

The petition also referenced a stakeholders’ meeting held on 9 January 2026, attended by representatives of the NSC, the Nigeria Olympic Committee, board members, state association chairmen and club owners. At the meeting, representatives of the outgoing president reportedly argued that the board’s tenure should run until October 2026, based on its formal inauguration by the former Minister of Sports in October 2022.

According to the petitioners, that position was unanimously rejected by stakeholders, including a majority of board members, who maintained that the NBBF Constitution clearly states that tenure begins from the date of election and oath-taking. They added that the board began functioning immediately after its election in January 2022 and was not prevented from carrying out its duties prior to the October inauguration.

To support their claims, the Congress members cited three documents, including correspondence from the NOC affirming that the NBBF elective congress was due in January 2026, a December 2025 letter from the outgoing president to the NSC explaining his reasons for extending the board’s tenure, and a separate letter from the Chairman of the Taraba State Basketball Association highlighting the constitutional provisions on tenure.

The petitioners also said that stakeholders at the January 9 meeting agreed that the outgoing president would convene a board meeting within five days and commence preparations for an elective congress within 10 days, with elections to be concluded on or before 31 March 2026. They claimed those commitments were not honoured.

Invoking Article 35 of the NBBF Constitution, which recognises FIBA as the supreme authority for basketball worldwide, the Congress members called on the global body to intervene to avert what they described as a constitutional crisis within Nigerian basketball.

They asked FIBA to formally declare that the outgoing NBBF board has exceeded its tenure and to authorise the National Sports Commission and the NOC to conduct elections for a new NBBF board for the 2026–2030 term on or before 31 March 2026.

The petitioners said such action would restore constitutional order and ensure continuity in the administration of basketball in Nigeria.