NBBF Congress Calls on FIBA to Halt Alleged Tenure Extension

In a bold step, over two-thirds of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Congress have requested the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to address what they describe as a constitutional crisis. This plea highlights serious allegations regarding significant violations and an unlawful extension of the tenure of the federation's current leadership.

Dated 1 February 2026 and signed by 33 Congress members, the petition was sent to the FIBA Secretary-General, seeking immediate action. It urges FIBA to authorize Nigeria’s National Sports Commission (NSC) alongside the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) to convene an Extraordinary Congress and conduct new elections promptly.

The primary contention from the petitioners is that the mandate of the board, led by President Musa Kida, lapsed definitively on 31 January 2026. They assert that the board was elected on 31 January 2022 for a four-year term as per the NBBF constitution and no longer has legitimate authority to continue in office.

The correspondence contains severe accusations of mismanagement, charging the outgoing leadership with failing to organize even a single Congress or Annual General Meeting throughout its entire four-year period.

This failure stands in direct violation of the constitution, which mandates at least one annual congress, including an elective assembly in the final year. The Congress members also point out that meetings of the board have been dormant for more than a year, with the last meeting held in late 2024, causing stagnation in developmental programs and a complete breakdown in communication within the federation.

The petition specifically calls out Kida, who also serves as the non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), accusing him of functioning as a “sole administrator” while evading required meetings to extend his tenure. It references a stakeholders’ meeting on 9 January 2026, wherein a motion to extend the board’s tenure until October 2026—based on the inauguration date—was allegedly rejected.

Members assert that the constitution is clear: the tenure begins from the date of election and oath-taking, not from the subsequent inauguration date. This assertion is supported by attached official documents from the NOC, the NBBF president, as well as a state association leader.

Invoking FIBA’s paramount authority, the petitioners demand swift action to formally declare the end of the current board’s tenure and to sanction the organization of new elections no later than 31 March 2026, thereby reinstating constitutional governance in Nigerian basketball.