By Femi Atolagbe

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Ahead of March 10, Ondo State Football Association (FA) Chairman and Board elections, 50 delegates have elected new officials into the local football council across the 17 local governments.
Candidates were elected into positions of football administration in the 17 council areas of the state, except Ilaje local council which could not be decided because football stakeholders from the council could not agree on the list of delegates.
Those elected include former Chairman of the FA, Otunba Dele Ajayi (Akure North), Abayomi Ogunlade (Akure south), Olagunju Isaac (Ifedore), former Vice Chairman, Cornelius Ologbese (Akoko South west), Abiodun Mohammed (Akoko North East), and Gabriel Oloye (Akoko North West).
Others are Gabriel Aborowa (Ose), Tokunbo Akintelure (Idanre), Akinfolarin Akinbobola (Ondo West), Iluyomade Awosakin (Ondo East), Akinyele Olowokere (Akoko South East), Henry Akingboju (Irele), Sunkanmi Kukoyi (Ese Odo), Babatunde Igbasan (Okitipupa) and Oladimeji Abiola (Odigbo).
The Chairman of the electoral committee, Sir Steve Alabi, commended all the candidates for abiding by the rules of the election, saying 54 delegates were supposed to vote in the election. But two delegates were not accredited to vote from Ilaje and Akoko North East respectively.
He noted that Ilaje local football council election had been postponed indefinitely due to unresolved differences among the contestants.
Alabi, a former president of the Sports Writers Association (SWAN), added that the local football council election was free, fair and credible, assuring that more would be done to make the next election into positions of executive committee of the Football Association peaceful and hitch free.
Observers at the election were Mrs Evelyn Lebi from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and representative of the Ondo State Sports Council, Babatunde Henry, both of whom described the exercise as a peaceful and credible electoral process.
Some of the elected Chairmen, Gabriel Aborowa from Ose and his counterpart from Ondo West Local government, Akinfolarin Akinbobola said they would do more to develop football at the grassroots and engage private investors to develop the game.