By Maxwell Kumoye and Oluwatobiloba Kumoye
President of Comets Basketball Club and former D’Tigers head coach, Ayodele Bakare, has declared that the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elections must be concluded by October 15, 2026, insisting that stakeholders should stop entertaining doubts over the polls and begin preparations immediately.
Bakare, in a strongly worded intervention on the federation’s leadership crisis, hinged his position on what he described as formal communications from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) regarding the tenure of the current NBBF board and the conduct of the next elections.
According to him, FIBA remains the global regulatory authority for basketball and its position on the Nigerian situation should not be dismissed or interpreted loosely.
Bakare, however, accused the world governing body of having previously taken positions that, in his view, favoured Musa Kida’s emergence as NBBF president and subsequently allowed the current board to extend its tenure despite provisions of the federation’s constitution.
He nevertheless argued that FIBA’s latest position has effectively settled the timeline for the next election.
“The next NBBF Board elections will be concluded on or before October 15th 2026,” Bakare stated.
He added that the current board’s tenure would end no later than October 15, with a new board expected to commence its tenure the following day.
Bakare further claimed that mechanisms had already been identified to take charge of the electoral process should the incumbent board delay or frustrate the exercise, with a Steering Committee described as the “last line of defense.”
He also maintained that the existing NBBF Constitution should remain the governing document for the elections, stressing that it should not be amended or altered before the polls.
The Comets president’s intervention, however, went beyond the election timetable as he turned his attention to the growing number of interests seeking control of Nigerian basketball.
Bakare called on the various opposition forces and aspirants to form what he termed a “Rainbow Coalition”, arguing that a fragmented challenge would leave the incumbent structure with an advantage.
“None of the current aspirants, contesting against themselves and dividing the available vote, will be able to unseat the entrenched Fabulous Five,” he said.
He accused the group he described as the “Fabulous Five” of having taken control of a board that, according to him, was originally constituted with 14 members, and alleged that efforts were being made to influence who succeeds the current leadership.
Bakare warned that individual ambitions could undermine attempts to produce a credible alternative at the polls.
He said the immediate priority should therefore be electoral mobilisation rather than prolonged debates over how Nigerian basketball should be restructured after the election.
“Since we cannot change the timelines or how the elections are to be held, I suggest that we embrace preparation for it urgently,” he said.
The former D’Tigers coach also questioned the readiness and eligibility of some of the aspirants, suggesting that several may lack the reach, platform or standing required to successfully contest the presidency.
Without naming the individuals, Bakare hinted that he was prepared to identify those he believes cannot emerge as the next NBBF president.
“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,” he said.
With the NBBF election deadline drawing closer, Bakare’s intervention is likely to add further intensity to an already heated succession battle, particularly his call for rival camps to put personal ambitions aside and rally behind a common electoral platform.
Bakare stressed that, the immediate battle is not about rewriting Nigerian basketball’s future, but ensuring that the next election takes place within the stipulated timeframe and that stakeholders are sufficiently organised to challenge the existing power structure.
