NFF Election Regularisation Window Opens Ahead of September 27 Poll

By Cynthia Okere, Lagos

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) electoral process has entered its regularisation stage, giving aspirants an opportunity to correct irregularities in their submitted documents ahead of the September 27, 2026 Executive Committee election.

According to the timetable released by the NFF Electoral Committee, the regularisation period opened on Thursday, August 20 and will continue until August 27.

The exercise follows the earlier review of nomination documents. Under the electoral timetable, candidates were to be notified of irregularities in their submissions between August 13 and 19 after the deadline for submission of nomination forms on August 12.

The regularisation window allows affected aspirants to address identified deficiencies before the screening exercise, which is scheduled to run from August 27 to 30.

The Electoral Committee is expected to publish the list of cleared candidates on August 31. Aspirants who are disqualified will have between September 1 and 3 to lodge appeals, while the determination of appeals is scheduled for September 4 to 10.

A final list of cleared candidates is expected between September 11 and 12, followed by publication of the delegates’ list on September 13.

Successful candidates will then be permitted to campaign from September 14 to 24 ahead of the Elective Congress scheduled for Sunday, September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

The congress is expected to elect members of the NFF Executive Committee for the next four years.

The election is, however, taking place amid growing controversy over the administration and electoral structure of Nigerian football. Some stakeholders have called for reforms and suspension of the process, while recent media reports have also claimed that the National Sports Commission could intervene in the election.

As of August 21, however, the NFF’s published electoral roadmap continues to list September 27 for the Elective Congress, while an NFF board member quoted by PUNCH dismissed reports that the election had already been cancelled as rumours.

The coming days will therefore be crucial, with the conclusion of the regularisation and screening stages expected to provide a clearer picture of the candidates who will proceed to the final stages of the election.