Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu State Football Association has elected the incumbent Chairman, Mr Tony Ugwu, for another four years in office while Mr Monday Nnonah was elected vice chairman.
In the election held in the Nsukka Sports Club, Nsukka Local Government Council Secretariat, the chairman, vice chairman were voted in by the accredited 27 members of the association.
It would be recalled that Ugwu rose to the position of the ENSFA substantive chairman following the demise of Chidi Ofo-Okenwa in May 2020.
Two Representatives from Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Joshua Onoja, and Chinedu Oha, attended the election.
In his address, Onoja who represented the NFF president, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, said they were in Enugu to elect members of ENSFA that will pilot the affairs of the association for the next four years.
“I believe that the Electoral Committee has dutifully done their work in line with the regulatory provision of the state FA, NFF status and the electoral code of 2009.
“We are here to witness what I may call a fraternity but not a contest on the ground that our faces are familiar in the course of football.
He later described the election as free, fair and credible in the sense that there are no conflict from the exercise because of its credibility.
The newly-elected chairman, Ugwu, thanked the electorate for choosing him for the next four years and promised inclusive administration where everybody will be well represented.
He pleaded with the government to ensure that Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium hosts matches in the coming season so that football will come back to life again in the state.
“Whatever it is, government needs to finish all works at the stadium so that we will have a place to execute our league, state Federation and league and grassroots matches.
“We also need corporate organisations to start investing in the game to help in football talent discovery at the grassroots and harnessing of discovered talents.
“Enugu FA needs a 30-or 40-seater bus to ease their transportation and in that regards we need both government and corporate organisations to assist,” he said.
Francis Ugwu, the ENSFA secretary and the secretary Electoral Committee, thanked the electorate and other football stakeholders for coming to witness the election.
Out of the Nine FA members which include the chairman and his vice, three members came from Enugu North, Enugu East and the other three from Enugu West.