Hamad Malboum Kalkaba, President of Confederation of African Athletics, CAA, has told embattled President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Mr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau to abide by the terms of agreement reached at the reconciliatory meeting last month in Abuja between members of the executive board of the AFN and two top executives of the Confederation led by Senior Vice President, Jackson Tuwei.
The CAA president also told Gusau the Extraordinary Congress purportedly held on Wednesday May 12, 2021 will not be accepted by the Confederation.
”It appears that the Extraordinary Congress of the AFN was not part of the agreement reached at the end of the reconciliatory meeting. So in this situation, CAA will not support the Extraordinary Congress of the AFN,’ Kalkaba wrote in an email message he personally sent to Gusau dated Wednesday May 12,2021.
The CAA president advised Gusau to follow the agreement reached on April 20 in Abuja as that is what will be acceptable to the confederation.
”I would advise you to consider the implementation of the common agreement reached by the reconciliatory meeting for AFN to organise the Elective Congress on 14 or 15 June 2021 according to the 2017 constitution of the AFN,’ further wrote Kalkaba.
The CAA President’s letter follows that of the one sent by the CEO of World Athletics, Jon Ridgeon who insisted that the terms of the agreement reached last month in Abuja is not only sacrosanct but that the 2017 constitution of the AFN is the working document of the federation and must be used in the conduct of the elections into the executive board of the AFN.
World Athletics also insisted that the so called amendment of the 2017 constitution at a disputed congress in Awka in December 2019 and which was re-affirmed at an equally disputed virtual congress last Wednesday is null and void.
‘To confirm, World Athletics’ position is that the 2017 AFN Constitution applies. To be clear, World Athletics has never recognised and does not recognise the claimed 2019 constitution and so any election must be held in accordance with the 2017 constitution. We trust this makes World Athletics’ position clear. Under the World Athletics Constitution, World Athletics reserves its rights in full,” World Athletics’ letter to Gusau stated.