The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 3, 2026, for the hearing of a suit challenging the conduct of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elective congress, after declining an application seeking to stop the election scheduled for Thursday.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2428, was instituted by Ayodele Olaseinde Bakare against the NBBF and the National Sports Commission (NSC).
In his application, Bakare challenged the legality of the congress held in Yola, Adamawa State, alleging that it was convened in violation of provisions of the NBBF Constitution.
The plaintiff argued that neither two-thirds of the Congress members nor the NBBF Board issued the required notice convening the extraordinary congress in Yola.
Additionally, Bakare contended that only 44 out of the 50 Congress members at the Yola meeting were served the notice for the congress which contravened the applicable constitutional provisions governing the composition and conduct of the Congress and also breach the right of fair hearing on other congress members that were not served.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, the court declined to grant the plaintiff’s request for an interim order restraining the federation from proceeding with its scheduled elective congress.
However, the court granted a relief to abridge the timeframe for the defendants to respond to the substantive claims, reducing the period from one month to two weeks. The matter was subsequently fixed for November 3 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In considering the application to halt the election, the court reportedly took into account the proximity of the scheduled congress and the financial and logistical commitments already made, including travel arrangements for delegates from across the country, venue bookings and other related expenses.
The court also considered the need to afford the defendants an opportunity to be heard before making an order capable of disrupting the electoral process.
In a further directive, the court ordered that the originating court processes be served on both the NBBF and the NSC to formally notify them of the suit and enable them to respond to the allegations.
The forthcoming hearing is expected to focus on the plaintiff’s challenge to the procedures adopted in convening the Yola congress and the extent to which those procedures complied with the NBBF Constitution and other applicable regulations.
The court’s eventual determination will depend on the arguments and evidence presented by the parties. If the plaintiff establishes that the congress was conducted in breach of the applicable constitutional provisions, the court will consider appropriate remedies within the scope of the claims before it.
However, the defendants will have the opportunity to contest the allegations and present their defence.
The refusal to grant the interim order does not constitute a final determination of the substantive dispute or an endorsement of the legality of the electoral process. The suit remains pending, with the November 3 hearing expected to provide the next significant development in the legal challenge.
The case places the NBBF’s electoral process under judicial scrutiny as the dispute over compliance with the federation’s governing constitution proceeds before the court.
