The Presidency and former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad have faulted the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, over his claim that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation stopped him from greeting members of the national Under-17 women’s team, the Flamingos.
The reactions followed Obi’s account of the incident at an airport on Monday, where he said he was prevented from approaching the players by NFF officials, who reportedly warned that they could lose their jobs if he greeted the team.
In a statement released on Monday, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, accused the opposition of attempting to politicise national sports teams and institutions.
He said the national athletes, including the Flamingos, “represent the entire Federal Republic of Nigeria, not any specific political party or individual ambition.”
Olusegun said protocol guidelines for national teams were designed to protect young athletes from “political exploitation, commercial distractions, and unnecessary media circuses while on official duty.”
