Igoche Mark alleges political interference, mass disenfranchisement

 

By Maxwell Kumoye 

 

Basketball administrator and sponsor Igoche Mark has accused unnamed interests of manipulating the build-up to the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elections, alleging that legitimate stakeholders are being pushed out to pave the way for favourable voting outcomes.

Mark, founder of the Mark D' Ball Basketball Championship, made the allegations in Abuja, warning that the credibility of the federation's electoral process could be undermined if stakeholders are denied the opportunity to participate freely.

He argued that those seeking leadership positions should convince voters with their plans for Nigerian basketball rather than allegedly influencing the composition of the electorate.

Mark claimed that stakeholders in several states had been removed from the process without proper justification, with individuals he described as lacking knowledge of or involvement in basketball allegedly taking their places.

The development, he said, had generated frustration among members of the basketball community who believe their participation is being restricted ahead of the polls.

"If we want to do election, let's do election and if we don't want to do election, let's go for selection," he said, challenging those involved to be clear about the process through which the federation's leadership would emerge.

Mark also alleged that political interests were being deployed to influence decisions affecting the electoral process, citing an incident involving his name and that of Colonel Sam Ahmedu.

According to him, a call was allegedly made by his state's deputy governor to the Director of Sports requesting that both names be removed, following a request from a senior government official.

Mark further claimed that the request was linked to a promise to provide electricity to three villages in the state.

"A call came from my Deputy Governor to the Director of Sports asking for my name and that of Col. Sam Ahmedu to be changed, just because a certain top government official requested for that to happen, and in turn electrify three villages in my state," he alleged.

The claims raise fresh questions about the role of political influence in basketball administration and the need for clear, consistently applied rules governing participation in the federation's elections.

Mark urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) to examine the situation and take steps to protect the integrity of the process.

He maintained that Nigerian basketball could struggle to make meaningful progress if its leadership contests were overshadowed by allegations of exclusion, inducement and interference.