Alhaji Adamu Babayo Gabarin has been elected as the North East Zonal Representative on the Board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) following zonal elections held in Bauchi.
The election, which featured delegates from six states in the North East geopolitical zone—Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe—saw Adamu Babayo secure three votes. He defeated Richard Jatau from Adamawa, who garnered two votes, and Bello Adamu from Gombe, who received one vote.
Announcing the results, the Chairman of the AFN North East Zonal Election Committee, Dr. Habu Abdulrahman Ago, congratulated the newly elected representative and urged him to abide by the rules and regulations of the Federation. He also advised Babayo to carry along all contestants and work collaboratively towards the development of athletics in the zone.
In his acceptance speech, Alhaji Adamu Babayo, who also serves as the Bauchi State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, pledged to foster unity and progress within the zone. He expressed his commitment to working with other stakeholders to revamp athletics both in the North East and across Nigeria.
Reflecting on recent performance at the national level, Babayo lamented the poor showing of North Eastern states at the just-concluded National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, where none of the six states featured among the top 20 on the medals table. He vowed to reverse the trend through improved training, facilities, and collaboration.
The election process, which was supervised by the North East Zonal Sports Coordinator, Mr. Okere Emmanuel, was described as smooth and transparent. Babayo expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah and called on other zones to emulate the credible conduct of the poll.
