Bauchi commissioner emerges North-East zonal rep on AFN
By Ahmed Ahmed
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Adamu Babayo Gabarin, has been elected as the North-East Zonal Representative on the Board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), following a keenly contested zonal election held in Bauchi.
The chairman of the AFN North-East Zonal Election Committee, Dr. Habu Abdulrahman Ago, announced the results, declaring Adamu Babayo the winner with three votes, on Tuesday in Bauchi
“He edged out Richard Jatau of Adamawa, who secured two votes, and Bello Adamu of Gombe, who garnered one vote.
Dr. Ago congratulated the newly elected representative and urged him to operate within the rules and regulations of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
He further encouraged Babayo to foster unity among the contestants and work collaboratively to advance athletics development in the North-East zone.
In his acceptance speech, Alhaji Adamu Babayo Gabarin expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him and pledged to work with all stakeholders to uplift athletics both in the region and nationwide.
He lamented the poor performance of North-Eastern states at the recently concluded National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, where none of the six states in the zone ranked among the top twenty on the medals table.
He vowed to change the narrative through strategic planning and investment in talent development.
The commissioner thanked Almighty Allah for a peaceful and transparent electoral process and called on other zones to emulate the North-East in conducting credible elections.
The election, supervised by North-East Zonal Sports Coordinator Mr. Okere Emmanuel, involved delegates from the six states in the region: Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe.
