The Nigerian government has created further chaos ahead of the forthcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) elections.
This was after the government ordered the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), against its will, to support the candidature of incumbent President Issa Hayatou.
Hayatou is in the running to retain his seat as Africa’s football supremo for the eighth successive time but faces competition from Madagascar FA boss, Ahmad Ahmad.
Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, seemed to have given his blessing to the candidature of Ahmad who last week visited Nigeria.
But shockingly, Dalung now claims the Presidency prefers Hayatou, due to the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and his country, Cameroon.
“Not too long ago, the Federal Government made categorically clear, her position,” Dalung was quoted by SuperSport.
“And the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria is that in view of the fact that Cameroon has been a major key player in the war against insurgency and the involvement of Cameroon in fighting for the stability of Nigeria, it would be out of the foreign policy context of Nigeria to abandon Cameroon.
“The acting President (of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo) has directed, and which I have communicated appropriately, that if the only vote that will come to Hayatou will be from Nigeria, Nigeria should stand with Hayatou.
“I have communicated that (to the leadership of the NFF and) that is the directive from the Federal Government.”
The 2017 CAF elections will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this Thursday.
