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The Presidency and former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, have faulted the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over his account of an alleged incident involving officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and members of the national Under-17 women’s team, the Flamingos.
Obi had claimed that NFF officials stopped him from greeting the players at an airport on Monday, allegedly warning that they could lose their jobs if they allowed him to approach the team.
The reactions followed the former Anambra State governor’s account of the incident, which he described as another dimension of toxic politics in the country.
Reacting in a statement on Monday, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, accused opposition politicians of attempting to politicise national sports teams and institutions.
Olusegun said the Flamingos and other national athletes represent all Nigerians, irrespective of political affiliation.
He stated that established protocols for national teams were intended to protect young athletes from political exploitation, commercial distractions and unnecessary media attention while performing official duties.
The presidential aide described Obi’s account as an attempt to portray standard security and administrative procedures as political victimisation.
“To spin standard security and administrative protocols into a narrative of political victimisation is a disservice to the unity that sport is meant to foster in our country,” he said.
Olusegun also accused Obi of relying on unverified information to create a victim narrative, urging him to allow the players to concentrate on representing Nigeria.
Similarly, Ahmad, the National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response of the City Boy Movement, disagreed with Obi’s description of the incident.
He argued that being denied access to greet the players did not automatically amount to political persecution.
“Protocol, security and administrative considerations must have been involved,” Ahmad said.
He urged Obi to prioritise facts and responsibility, stressing that the country was bigger than any individual or political party.
“A new Nigeria is possible, but not through perpetual political antagonism,” he added.
Obi had earlier explained that he was at the airport on Monday preparing to board a flight to Enugu when he noticed the Flamingos arriving in the country and getting ready to board a vehicle.
According to him, he asked his protocol officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet the players.
However, he alleged that NFF officials objected to the move and warned that they would lose their jobs if he was allowed to approach the team.
The Nigeria Football Federation had yet to publicly respond to Obi’s account as of the time of filing this report.
