President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Engineer Ibrahim Gusau has declared that the Director of Sports, Directorate of Sports Development, Zamfara State, Isikaya Magaji Shameel has no power to remove him as an elected chairman of Zamfara State Athletics Association.
It would be recalled that the Director of Sports,Directorate of Sports Development, Zamfara Sttae had on Monday announced the removal of Gusau as Athletics association chairman of the state.
Reacting to the purported removal via a statement he signed and made available to Tribunesport Tuesday, the AFN president, said he was duly elected and the director of sports has no such power to remove an elected member of the association but only the congress can do so.
According to him,”as the president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria,(AFN),I can categorically state that Zamfara Association currently has neither constitution or the law that authorized it to sit and remove any elected member of the Association from office,” he said.
He added, “I was not elected into AFN as a result of been Zamfara state Athletics Association but on merit by the congress and as such the fake news cannot stand and it is a case of dead on arrival.”
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Gusau, who described his purported removal as Chairman of Zamfara State Athletics Association as fallacy and fake said it was followed by misconception that the purported move has an effect on his position as AFN President.
Adding that he wonders why the author of his removal should be ignorant of the law when the judgement of the Federal High Court has re -affirmed him as the president of AFN as well as court’s declaration of the supremacy of the constitution of AFN with the respect to the modus operandi of AFN.
“Election into the office of AFN President is not also by appointment but by a democratic process of election by the congress of the AFN and I was duly elected by the congress in 2017 for a four year tenure and was elected on the basis of eligibility having met all the electioneering guidelines which the federal ministry of youth and sports are aware of,” said The AFN president.
He however called on all stakeholders in the sporting industry to disregard the news been peddled against him saying it is obvious work of his detractors to cause disaffection among members of AFN and the general public.
“They have failed but trying to use back door having been shut out by court through the Federal High Court judgement that declared me AFN president,” said Gusau.
It would be recalled that Director of Sports, Director of Sports Development, Zamfara State Isikaya Magaji Shmeel had in a letter on Monday stated that Gusau has been removed as Zamfara Athletics Association Chairman after an extensive deliberations by management and stakeholders of State Athletics Association and that Hon. Jamilu Aliyu Zannan has been appointed as State Chairman of the Association.