NSC accuses Obi of seeking campaign photos with Flamingos, denies airport snub

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has accused Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NDC), of attempting to use Nigeria’s U-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, for campaign purposes.

The commission also denied the former Anambra State governor’s claim that he was prevented from meeting the team at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Obi had alleged that he was stopped from meeting and congratulating the players after their return from an international competition because officials reportedly warned his protocol lead that they could lose their jobs if they allowed him access to the team.

However, in a statement on Monday, Shehu Dikko, NSC chairman, said officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) who received the team at the airport reported that they did not see Obi around the players.

According to Dikko, two individuals wearing campaign face caps and other campaign materials associated with Obi approached the officials to request a meeting and photograph session between the former governor and the players.

He said the proposed arrangement was also likely to involve campaign materials.

“The players had just arrived early that morning on an Air Maroc flight at about 5.30 a.m. and were tired after their journey and a demanding competition,” the statement reads.

Dikko said the officials declined the request because it was sudden and there had been no prior arrangement for an airport reception.

He added that the decision was based on the players’ welfare and the circumstances surrounding the request, insisting that nothing in the officials’ account suggested that their jobs were threatened.

Obi had explained that he was at the airport to board a flight to Enugu, which would ordinarily depart from the domestic terminal, while the Flamingos arrived through the international terminal.

NSC: Obi was never seen around Flamingos

Dikko said airport officials and passengers welcomed and celebrated the team without discrimination based on political affiliations.

“This moment of joy and national pride was duly captured by the media present to cover the team’s arrival and Mr Obi was never captured anywhere near the team and or at the vicinity of the international wing of the Airport,” he said.

The NSC chairman said the commission took exception to Obi’s decision to portray the incident as political intimidation without first seeking clarification from the NFF or the commission.

He argued that presenting a request for an unscheduled interaction as political victimisation shifted attention from the players’ achievement to an individual political grievance.

“These young champions should not be drawn into that controversy and never deserved this from Mr Obi,” he said.

Dikko urged the former governor to apologise to the players for allegedly overshadowing their achievement with his subsequent statement and media interviews.

He also emphasised that the Flamingos are minors and have a designated safeguarding official within their technical crew to protect their welfare.

“Their welfare, dignity and protection from undue pressure must remain central to every engagement,” he stated.

He added that access to the players, including planned photograph sessions, must be properly managed and conducted in line with relevant regulations.

According to him, young athletes should not be used to suggest allegiance to any political party, stressing that the principle applies equally to public officials, political figures and members of the public.

Dikko said the Flamingos’ journey to the World Cup final involved more than seven months of preparation, training, qualifiers, the WAFU tournament and the competition in Morocco.

While acknowledging Obi’s congratulatory messages during the closing stages of the competition, he said such gestures were different from sustained support for the team’s preparation, welfare and development.

“Our national teams deserve consistent support from everyone through preparation, competition and setbacks, as well as when they return with trophies,” he said.

He advised Obi and other Nigerians interested in meeting or hosting the team to submit formal requests through the NFF or NSC to enable proper arrangements.

NSC disputes Obi’s Super Eagles dressing room claim

The NSC chairman also disputed Obi’s claim that he was prevented from visiting the Super Eagles in the dressing room after Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 25, 2025.

Dikko said the players declined to receive visitors after the match, which ended unfavourably for Nigeria, because they wanted to hold an immediate meeting among themselves.

He said he sat in the same row with Obi and some state governors during the match but no dignitary or official, including himself, the governors and senior NFF officials, visited the players.

Dikko further explained that FIFA protocols restrict access to dressing rooms to accredited persons or individuals cleared through the football federation.