Nigeria Judo Crisis: International Exile Looms Over Leadersh

Nigeria’s judo federation is staring at possible suspension from international competition after the International Judo Federation ordered the Nigeria Judo Federation to conduct fresh elections by the end of September 2026, warning that it will not recognise the current leadership until a credible electoral process is completed, The PUNCH reports.

The directive, contained in a letter dated August 13, 2026, from IJF Secretary General, Dr Lisa Allan, to NJF President, Dr Musa Oshodi, followed months of conflicting signals from Nigeria’s sporting authorities over the legitimacy of an election the NJF held on September 11 2025. The Nigerian National Olympic Committee had endorsed that election, but the National Sports Commission subsequently told the IJF it had annulled the process and that fresh elections would be organised.

The IJF said it could not validate the 2025 election given the conflicting positions of the NOC and the NSC, and it directed that revised NJF statutes first be reviewed by its Legal Department and approved by the NJF General Assembly before any new poll is held.

As far back as June, the world body had warned Oshodi that until a fresh, compliant election was held, it “will not be in a position to formally recognise the current leadership” for participation in IJF activities.

A separate letter sent to the NSC on 10 August 2026 by NJF stakeholders, including coaches, referees, athletes and club representatives, offered further detail on a meeting the IJF convened in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 31, 2026, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Games.

The letter, addressed to the NSC and copied to the NJF Secretary General, said the IJF President, Marius Vizer, told the meeting that elections “must now be held in September 2026” and must be a genuine contest, not a selection or reconciliation exercise. The letter further alleged that Vizer stated Oshodi had “on several occasions been implicated in visa-related misconduct” and that he had narrowly escaped indefinite suspension.

Responding to enquiries, Oshodi confirmed the IJF had directed a fresh election to resolve the governance dispute but said the poll could only hold after the revised constitution is confirmed by the IJF and approved by the General Assembly.

“Yes. It is true that the IJF has directed the Federation to conduct a fresh election so as to clear the governance issue once and for all. However, the election could only be held after the revised constitution is confirmed by the IJF and approved by the General Assembly,” he told The PUNCH.

“A proposed timeline has been forwarded to the IJF for consideration and approval. Once the timeline is approved by the international body, an update will be made available to the public.”

However, stakeholders contacted by our correspondent disputed his account of the process.

National coach, Sule Musa, a two-time Olympian who competed at the 1992 and 1996 Games, said every judoka in the country was aware of the IJF directive and described Oshodi’s tenure as “full of atrocities”, saying, “If Musa Oshodi has any iota of dignity left, he will step down voluntarily.”

The Chairman of the Osun State Judo Association, Rotimi Okeniyi, corroborated that account, saying the NJF appeared reluctant to organise a new and credible election and accusing the federation’s leadership of running the sport as “a one-man show or family affair.”

With the IJF’s deadline for fresh elections looming at the end of September, Nigeria’s judo community remains divided over whether the NJF leadership will meet the world body’s conditions in time, or whether the National Sports Commission will be compelled to intervene directly to avert the country’s suspension from international competition.