NFF shifts elective congress to avoid clash with Super Eagles Afcon qualifier

The Nigeria Football Federation has moved its 2026 Elective Congress in Lafia by one day to avoid a direct clash with the Super Eagles’ opening qualifier for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Originally fixed for Saturday, 26 September 2026 in the Nasarawa State capital, the congress will now be held on Sunday, 27 September 2026 at the same venue.

The Elective Congress will choose members of the NFF Executive Committee who will serve a four-year term.

NFF president Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau MON confirmed the change after an extraordinary general assembly conducted virtually on Wednesday, explaining that the shift was driven by the Super Eagles’ international commitments.

Afcon schedule forces rethink

Gusau told delegates that the Confederation of African Football had scheduled Nigeria’s first 2027 Afcon qualifying fixture, against Madagascar’s Barea, for Friday, 25 September 2026.

With that match now locked in, several candidates and delegates involved in the elections are expected to be on duty with the national team on the Friday.

Gusau said it would be “highly impossible” for some of those individuals to meet their obligations with the Super Eagles and then travel in time to Lafia for the originally planned Saturday congress.

New date approved by Congress

Because of this, the NFF Executive Committee convened the extraordinary general assembly to formally propose the 24-hour shift.

The proposal asked Congress to approve moving the Elective Congress from Saturday, 26 September 2026 to Sunday, 27 September 2026, while keeping Lafia, Nasarawa State, as the host city.

During the virtual session, a Congress member tabled a motion supporting the new date. The motion was immediately seconded, giving official approval to the rescheduling.

The decision means the NFF can stage its crucial leadership vote without overlapping with Nigeria’s first step on the road to qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.