Nigeria’s sports facilities under threat of political rallies – Daily Trust

Permit me to delve a little into the ongoing party primaries as I try to lay a solid foundation for this week’s article, which focuses on the abuses sports facilities in Nigeria suffer during political campaigns.

Without a doubt, the major talking point in Nigerian politics is the ongoing political party primaries centered heavily on the implementation of the landmark Electoral Act 2026, which has radically reshaped internal party politics as political factions gear up for the 2027 general elections.

As usual, these are interesting days as Nigerian politicians try to outsmart one another for the tickets to fly their parties’ flags in the next general elections. Following the strict enforcement of the newly signed Electoral Act, which officially abolished indirect (delegate-based) primaries, aspirants must navigate through the direct primaries, which allow all card carrying members to vote directly, or consensus primaries, which compel aspirants to mutually agree on a single representative.

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Sadly, so far, it has not been a roller coaster affair. For instance, the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries have faced severe challenges that threaten internal party stability and have forced late-night schedule changes. In most cases, the push for consensus candidates backed by party elites and state governors has sparked fierce resistance across 28 states.

Despite allegations of imposition of candidates, outright defiance of the Electoral Act 2026, clashing declarations and parallel victories, as well as reported cases of violence and infiltration of armed thugs, the party is moving on with its primaries. Interestingly, the intense power struggles have severely rattled the status quo.

The problems that have characterised APC’s primaries will surely manifest when the other parties carry out their exercises. Nigerian politicians are the same, even as they may claim to belong to different parties. So, at the end of the day, whether they adhere to the Electoral Act 2026 or not, candidates will emerge to bear the flags of their parties as they vie to occupy positions in the executive and legislative arms of the government.

But after the primaries, the second and equally challenging task is the actual campaign. Each politician who has transitioned from being an aspirant to a candidate must organise campaigns to sell his candidacy to the voters. This is when sports arenas are exposed to avoidable destruction.

Political campaigns in Nigeria usually attract large crowds, especially when the candidate has the capacity to hire “willing supporters.” Therefore, the need to get a big space that would accommodate the “teeming supporters” becomes imperative. When such a need arises, politicians usually convert any available sports facility into their campaign ground or venue.

So, as the brutal battles to secure party tickets continue across the country, I am deeply concerned about the abuses that would be visited on the already over-stretched sports facilities in the country. The truth of the matter is that most stadiums in the country are built by the federal and state governments, making it possible for top politicians like the president and governors to have unhindered access to them. Therefore, even as the stadia are built for sporting activities, political campaigns are given priority attention whenever there is a clash of interest. For instance, when the governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, was to defect from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to APC, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) week 26 fixture between Barau FC and Kun Khalifat was rescheduled because the Sani Abacha Stadium, the home ground of Barau FC, was to serve as the ground for the decamping ceremony.

As stated earlier, political parties and gladiators favour these government-owned sports facilities because they are often the only urban public facilities large enough to host tens of thousands of supporters. Moreover, political campaigns in Nigeria treat stadiums as a litmus test for a party’s local organisational structure and popularity.

Filling iconic grounds like the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu; Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano; Mobolaji Johnson Sports Arena (Onikan Stadium), Lagos; Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi; Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo; MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja and a host of others to capacity, is used to send a visual message of dominance to opponents.

Furthermore, most of the governors use the sports arenas as weapons of political warfare. For the fact that state governors hold executive control over state-owned stadiums, these venues are frequently weaponised to stifle oppositions. This is seen when an incumbent governor routinely denies opposition parties permits to use state stadiums, citing sudden ‘ongoing renovations,” “maintenance protocols,” or security threats.

Another way political opponents are denied access to state-owned stadiums is to charge exorbitant usage fees (sometimes running into millions of naira) or implement executive orders regulating public gatherings, which are waived only for preferred candidates.

Unfortunately, the heavy utilisation of sporting infrastructure by the political class comes at a steep cost to Nigerian sports. For instance, the installation of heavy metal sound stages, political canopies and the trampling of thousands of boots severely ruin premium natural grass and running tracks. This has continued to draw sharp condemnation from sports stakeholders who note that such abuses accelerate stadium decay.

Remember that I had cited the postponement of the league match between Barau FC and Kun Khalifat as an example of how scheduled matches are moved to accommodate political activities. Let me reiterate that domestic football clubs playing in the NPFL are routinely displaced from their home grounds or forced into match postponements because a political party has booked their stadium for a mid-week or weekend rally.

In some cases, even the courts issue orders restricting anti-government or political protesters strictly to the confines of national stadiums. This move allows heavily armed security forces to cordon off the perimeter, preventing protesters from marching into commercial nerve centres or government properties.

These are some of the unsporting activities Nigeria’s grossly inadequate sports arenas are continuously subjected to by politicians and influential government officials. So, this is another campaign season that the sports facilities would come under severe pressure in the hands of the people who are seeking to gain political offices in 2027.

The only way to save these sports arenas from the destructive impact of political campaigns is to ensure a mixture of structural reforms, strict regulations and alternative venues. If these facilities must be used for political activities, there MUST be a strict enforcement of “No-Go Zones” on playing pitches.

What it entails is that campaigners can still use the spectators’ stands while the stage is kept behind the goalposts or on the outer concrete perimeters. This preserves the multi-million naira playing turf from being ruined.

In addition to asking political parties to pay a massive, non-refundable maintenance fee and a refundable restoration bond before renting a stadium, wealthy individuals, corporate bodies and state governments should build dedicated, open-air civic centres or square grounds specifically designed for political rallies and music concerts. Political parties only use stadiums because Nigerian cities often lack other open spaces that can safely hold 30,000 to 50,000 people.

In my humble opinion, these are some of the practicable ways to effectively safeguard our sports arenas against constant abuses by politicians, political parties, popular musicians, and even wealthy individuals who like to host lavish parties to celebrate their accomplishments.