The Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF) has dismissed reports that the National Sports Commission (NSC) has dissolved its board and approved a caretaker committee, describing the publication as false.
In a press statement issued on Friday, October 9, 2026, and signed by the Special Assistant on Media in the Office of the President, the federation insisted that the board led by Dr. Musa Oshodi remained legitimate and in charge of its affairs.
The NJF also urged judokas and other stakeholders to disregard the purported caretaker committee list, maintaining that neither the International Judo Federation (IJF) nor the NSC had dissolved the current board.
The federation alleged that the report was circulated by Mrs Ngozi Amayo and her associates, whom it accused of attempting to take control of the organisation. It further claimed that Amayo had previously been dismissed by the board over alleged financial misappropriation and the management of the federation. The statement did not provide supporting documentation for the allegations.
Providing details of its preparations for a new electoral process, the NJF said the IJF, in a letter dated September 18, 2026, approved its draft amended constitution and directed the federation to convene a General Assembly to consider and approve the revised document.
According to the statement, the assembly is expected to pave the way for elections scheduled for November, in line with the IJF’s directive.
The federation announced that the General Assembly, initially scheduled to hold in Abuja, had been moved to Ibadan, Oyo State, with the meeting fixed for Tuesday, October 13. Delegates are expected to arrive on October 12 and depart on October 14.
It added that state chairmen and secretaries, members of the federation, the IJF, the NSC and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) had been notified of the meeting.
The NJF said the assembly would also approve the electoral committee and election date.
Defending its position, the federation cited provisions of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Charter, the IJF Statutes and its own constitution, arguing that sports federations should retain their autonomy and that constitutional amendments and elections must follow established internal procedures.
It specifically referred to Articles 8 and 21 of the NJF Constitution, which it said reserved the powers to amend the constitution and appoint an electoral committee to the General Assembly.
The federation also cited Section 16(2) of the NSC Establishment Act 2023, arguing that the dissolution of a federation’s board would require presidential approval. It maintained that no such approval had been sought or obtained in the present case.
On that basis, the NJF described the purported dissolution as invalid, although the legal claims and the alleged actions of the commission were not independently established in the statement.
The federation appealed for calm among judokas and other stakeholders, reaffirming its commitment to working with the IJF to advance the sport in Nigeria.