A distinguished son of Ilorin and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Barrister AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha has been appointed as the Chairman of the Election Appeals Committee by the National Sports Commission (NSC).
The appointment of the renowned legal luminary was announced in a press statement signed by the NSC’s Director of Sports, Dr (Mrs) Kehinde Ajayi.
Other members of the Committee, according to the statement, are a former Solicitor-General of Kaduna State, Barrister Chris Umar, SAN; an international sports law expert, Barrister Owoicho Adejo-Ogiri; an Abuja-Based prominent legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs Prisca Ngozii Udoka; as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mr Lateef Olatunji Surakatu, who will serve as the Committee’s Secretary.
Mallam Mustapha, apart from being a versatile lawyer, has also acquired decades of tremendous experience in legal arbitration and sports law.
He is also a two-time Chairman of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Committee, a position he held between 2016 and 2024. In 2010, Mallam Mustapha also chaired the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Electoral Committee, an assignment that earned him wide acclaim due to his impartiality and expertise.
The 60 years old Senior Advocate of Nigeria is one of the children of the Wali of Ilorin, Alhaji Shehu Usman Mustafa. His father was, apart from being a distinguished footballer during his younger days, was also the Chairman of the Kwara State Football Association in the early 1970s.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji Abdulmumini Ayo Abdulmalik, has felicitated with Mallam Mustapha on his appointment.
In a statement signed by the Union’s National Secretary, Abubakar Imam, Alhaji Abdulmalik described the senior lawyer as a pride to the Ilorin Emirate as he also said that the news of his appointment is “another source of joy for the Ilorin Emirate community during this festive period”.
While noting that the senior lawyer has taken after his father in sports, community service and philanthropy, Alhaji Abdulmalik wished the respected legal practitioner a very peaceful and successful tenure.
