Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital, was on Thursday 10 June thrown into a frenzy as the football fraternity in the state stormed the Kwara State Stadium amid tumultuous expectations and anxiety by the mammoth crowd of delegates from the 16 Local Government Areas of the state all in a bids to usher in a new football administration in the state.
Prior to the eve of the elections, the four gladiators in the race in their efforts to put finishing touches to their plans of ensuring their opponents were outwitted for electoral gains.
Their strategies were varied and enticing enough to attract delegates to theirย sides. Their well thought out marketing and trading were designed to endear them to the delegates.
All at stake is the number one seat of the state football governing body and the executive committeeโs position till 2023.
As at 9am, the board room of the Kwara State Stadium has filled up to capacity and the security operativeshad hectic time controlling the crowd and ensure peace.
Shortly after the dissolution of the former excos by the outgone FA Chairman, Busari Ishola, the house was asked to go on recess for ten minutes before screening of the 22 delegates.
The delegates were drawn from the 16 Local Government of the state alongside one representative each from the: Nigerian Football Coaches Associations, Kwara State Referee Council, National Associations of Nigeria Professional Footballer, the Nigeria National League and the Nigeria Nationwide League One.
The election which was held at the Indoor Sports Hall lasted for about an hour, heightened anxiety among contestant and the electorate.
Many soccer fans were surprised at the news of the emergence of Idris Musa, also known as Turaya, as the new FA Chairman. Musa’s candidature was seen as the gladiatorial strength of Toyin Olokoba and Owolabi Wopa.
The Contest had earlier been streamlined by opinion polls to be between Olokoba and Wopa. The duo from Kwara Central, had rich antecedents in football management with vast experience, among others.
The duo were seen at the elections venue prior the commencement of the polls radiating confidence likelihood.
In fact, many people had particularly tipped Olokoba to be the next Kwara FA as he was said to have been overwhelmingly endorsed by the stakeholders ahead of the elections.
Another pre-election fact emerged that he has all the delegates in his pockets as none of his rivals has his financial muscles. He was alleged to have placed all the delegates on his payroll since November last year.
To allude to this fact was on the eve of the election Olokoba was a Special Guest of Honour at the final match between Kwara Football Academy versus Thomas Adewumi College, Oko at the KFA pitch where he donated Jersey and other materials at the events.
He was addressed by the moderator as the next Kwara FA Chairman, was due to his rich credentials alongside his contributions to the developments of grassroots football in the state.
Olokoba emerged runner-up at the election by many not being capable of matching official, the Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) team coordinator, Musa polled 10 votes of 22 to defeat his closest rival Toyin Olokoba, who garnered 6 votes, Wopa Agbaji and Mallam Idris Jubril Etsu, who are the two other candidates polled 3 votes each at the keenly and contested elections.
The Chairman of Oke-Ero Local Government Football Council, Bashorun Kayode Bankole, emerged the vice chairman, having polled 9 votes to beat his closest rival Afolabi Salami, who has 7 votes.
Tunji Shuaib and Umar Yahaya both polled 3 votes each.
Abubakar Boro and Dayo Ayodele were elected into the board on the platform of the Kwara North while Alhaji Wasiu Lawal and Salaudeen Jimoh are to represent the Kwara South.
Former ABS Ilorin FC Technical Adviser, Tunde Sanni and Adeshina Bello were elected into the board on the platform of the Kwara Central.
The Chairman of the electoral Committee, Salihu Ojibara, declared a seat vacant for the Kwara Central and directed the new board to pick a date when a bye-election would be conducted for the position later on.
The position became vacant because only two candidates obtained forms to come from the zone.
In his acceptance speech, the new Kwara FA chairman thanked everyone involved in the process that brought him in.
He promised to operate an open door policy in the interest of the development of football in Kwara.
Meanwhile, as the usual norms that greeted post election in this part of the world, series of unseen scenarios were said to have played out at the just concluded Kwara FA poll.
Many pundits had claimed that the new FA chairman rode on the back of the Director Sports, ABS Football Club, Alloy Chukwuemeka and the chairman of Kwara United FC, Prince Oladimeji Thompson to emerge.
The two were said to be the godfathers of the new FA boss and they in no small measure contributed into his emergence.
It is often said that sport and politics are two aspects of our society that have nothing in common. Yet the history of the just concluded Kwara FA polls has provided several examples of how they influence one another, directly or indirectly. Truly, there is politics in sports.
