Edo FA elections: Aspirant alleges disruption of process by Ihonvhere

Secretary to the Edo State Government, Professor Julius Ihonvbhere, has stepped in to manipulate the electoral process of the Edo State Football Association elections in Benin.
The elections earlier fixed for last Saturday was shifted on the order of the SSG.
Investigations revealed that the SSG was not comfortable with one of the top chairmanship aspirants, Mr. Frank Ilaboya, a frontline sports journalist and immediate past vice chairman of the Edo FA, whom he accused of working against him in the last All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.
It was further gathered that the election had to be shifted due to his instruction through the Commissioner of Sports.
On Tuesday, the Sports Commissioner invited the voting delegates to his office to press home the message of the SSG to vote for a government-nominated candidate.
Findings revealed that the meeting with the Commissioner and the involvement of the SSG who vowed that “over his dead body” would one of the candidates, Ilaboya, get the post, has put fears into the system and the possibility of a free and fair elections which would never be guaranteed.
Briefing the media on Wednesday in Benin, Ilaboya, who is widely tipped to win, said the involvement of the SSG in the electoral system is regrettable.
He said: “Yes, it is true that the SSG and I had a political misunderstanding during the last December APC primary elections that should not be brought to a football election that has nothing to do with politics.
“The SSG is holding me and my supporters responsible for his failure in the Senatorial primaries. I find this funny because he is aware why he lost.
“My appeal to the electorate is to vote for football and not politics. Edo football has suffered enough and this is the time for revival.”
Ilaboya also used the well-attended briefing to share with the audience how he would revive the football fortunes of the state if elected.
“I promise to run an all inclusive administration where the stakeholders would be actively involved. We will come up with a blue print within 30 days of election and all the stakeholders would be involved in this process.”