COMMENT
Aminu Maigari is not a new name in Nigerian football administration circles, having served as a president of the Nigeria Football Federation between 2010 and 2014 before incumbent Amaju Pinnick took over.
He will now be looking to take the seat back from the former Delta State FA chairman with elections set to be held in Katsina on Thursday.
Maigari will also be going up against current Osun State FA Chairman and former NFF Secretary-General Taiwo Ogunjobi as well as Chinedu Okoye, owner of amateur football outfit Bimo FC.
Before taking the top job in the Glass House in 2010, Maigari had served as the chairman of the Bauchi State FA, and also headed the Bauchi sub-seat for the 2009 Fifa U-17 World Cup which was hosted by Nigeria, with the Golden Eaglets finishing runners-up after losing to Switzerland in the final in Abuja.
He was most recently appointed into the management board of Nigeria Professional Football League side Wikki Tourists.
Control for the NFF is always an intense political battle with lots of drama and controversy, and Maigari has played his part in this kind of narrative in the past.
His board was impeached twice in the months leading to the 2014 NFF elections, and this led to Fifa suspending Nigeria. However, he was eventually reinstated until the congress of September 30, 2014 brought Pinnick into power.
His participation for this election is said to be in the balance, as he is alleged to have presented credentials that were forged.
Ideally, Maigari would not be running for NFF President due to his past and tainted record.
However, in the world of Nigerian football it can feel as though anything goes, and the quest to gain political power supersedes credibility, accountability and transparency.
Thursday’s election represents another major milestone that will go a long way in impacting the country’s football. Will Maigari be the man holding the key to the Glass House when the dust settles?
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