Ayodele Bakare, President of Comets Basketball Club and former head coach of Nigeria’s D’Tigers, has called on stakeholders to conclude the Nigeria Basketball Federation elective congress on or before October 15, 2026. Speaking on the leadership crisis rocking the federation, he urged all parties to set aside doubts and begin preparations immediately, citing formal communications from FIBA on the incumbent board’s tenure and the election timetable.
Bakare acknowledged that FIBA, as the global governing body, had previously taken positions favouring Musa Kida’s emergence as NBBF president, a situation he claimed allowed the current board to extend its tenure. Despite those reservations, he insisted FIBA’s latest stand has fixed the transition timeline, with the current board formally ending its term on October 15 and a new administration taking office on October 16.
He disclosed that a Steering Committee, which he described as the “last line of defense,” has been set up to manage the electoral process should the incumbent board attempt to delay it. Bakare also stressed that the polls must be run under the existing NBBF Constitution, without pre-election amendments.
On the political dynamics, Bakare warned rival aspirants against splintering the opposition and proposed a united “Rainbow Coalition” capable of challenging what he labelled the “Fabulous Five,” a faction he accused of seizing control of what was originally a 14-member board. “None of the current aspirants, contesting against themselves and dividing the available vote, will be able to unseat the entrenched ‘Fabulous Five,’” he stated. He urged stakeholders to focus on voter mobilisation instead of post-election governance structures, questioning whether several declared presidential hopefuls have the reach to win.
“I don’t know who the next NBBF President will be, but I can easily tell you those of the current aspirants that it will DEFINITELY NOT BE,” Bakare asserted.
