Ogba returns as Ebonyi FA Chairman

Senator Obinna Ogba has been re-elected as the Chairman of the Ebonyi Football Association. Senator Ogba is retaining the position he assumed first in 2002

Ogba pulled the majority of votes cast in the election which was witnessed by NFF Executive Board member Chidi Offor Okenwa, who stood in for the federation’s President, Amaju Pinnick.

Okenwa said the election which produced Ogba, met all the requirements of the federation’s statutes.

Okenwa, who agreed that various letters were received towards the postponement of the election by the NFF, but, that received from the Ebonyi Sports Ministry calling for the election’s postponement amounted to interference.

Amanze Uchegbulam, the Chairman of the South East Zone Football Stakeholders, urged the zone’s football family to settle all differences internally as there would always be disagreements in every organised setting.

He said: “The days of government interference in football are over and if FIFA can make former President Goodluck Jonathan reverse his decision on the nation’s football in 2010, no one cannot reverse such decision.

“We have statutes and guidelines governing football in the country and whoever is aggrieved should follow the stipulated guidelines in lodging his complaints.”
Chairman of the state’s FA Electoral Committee, Onyebuchi Ekuma, said all the elected officials satisfied all requirements which qualified them to contest the election.

He said: “The committee duly cleared nine contestants to contest for various positions which include the chairmanship, vice chairmanship and seven membership positions.

“The 16 delegates who served as the electorate at the elections were drawn from the 13 Local Government Areas of the state and other bodies such as the coaches, referees and club representative associations.”

Ogba, in his acceptance speech, pledged to improve on the structures put in place during his previous reign and sought the collaboration of all stakeholders to achieve this goal.

He said: “The board will liaise with the government, relevant stakeholders and associations to move football in the state forward to sustain the strides recorded in the sport in the state.”
Newsmen report that popular Nollywood actor, Andy Chukwu, was re-elected as the Vice-chairman while seven other board members were also elected.