By Nicholas Obisike
Enugu State Football Association (ENSFA) on Thursday elected the incumbent chairman, Mr Tony Ugwu, for another four years in office while Mr Monday Nnonah was elected the vice chairman.
At the election held at Nsukka Sports Club, Nsukka Local Government Headquarter, the chairman, vice chairman were voted in by the accredited 27 voters who are members of that association.
Also, the election returned other members unopposed as they have no opponents like in the case of the chairman and his vice.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ugwu rose to the position of the ENSFA substantive chairman following the demise of Chidi Ofo-Okenwa in May 2020.
NAN reports that 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 are in Enugu to elect members of the ENSFA that will pilot the affairs of the association for the next four years.
“I believe that the Electoral Committee has done their work in line with the regulatory provision of the state FA, NFF status and the electoral code of 2009.
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.
Onoja called on the executives to ensure that they take football development to a higher level.
The newly-elected chairman, Ugwu, thanked the electorates 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 electorates and other football stakeholders for coming to witness the election.
Ugwu called on the elected members to take their new assignment seriously because “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
NAN also reports that the nine FA members included the chairman and his vice, three members from Enugu North, Enugu East and the other three from Enugu West. (NAN)
