Issa Hayatou Defeated As CAF Elects Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad as New President

Ahmad Ahmad

Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad has emerged the new president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). He defeated incumbent Issa Hayatou by 34 to 20 votes at the election currently holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Hayatou, who has been in charge at CAF for 29 years, was seeking an eighth term. Ahmad had challenged Hayatou and promising change after a discreet playing and coaching career.

Ahmad took the reins of the Madagascar football federation in 2003 and on Thursday challenged long-serving Issa Hayatou for the African Football Confederation (CAF) presidency.

Favourite Hayatou and Ahmad went head to head in Addis Ababa seeking a four-year term as African football boss. 

AFRICAN UNION CHAIRPERSON, CONDE, CALLS PRESIDENT BUHARI, WISHES HIM GOOD HEALTH

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Conde of Guinea, Friday, called President Muhammadu Buhari in London, to wish him good health and speedy recovery.

President Conde, who said he was calling on behalf of leaders of member countries of the AU, assured the Nigerian President that all African leaders stand with him in prayers at a time like this.

President Buhari, while thanking President Conde for the telephone call, used the opportunity to congratulate him on his recent election as AU Chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017.

UN’s Ban Ki-Moon, Spain’s PM To Attend AU Summit

United Nations' Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to be the special guest at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The assembly is to hold in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea from June 20 to 27 June.

A statement issued by the office of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr Dlamini Zuma on Friday in Addis Ababa, added that Spain’s Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy-Brey, is also attending.

It said that already the AU Commission Chairperson had arrived in Malabo on Thursday, ahead of the summit. The Summit is being hosted by the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, under the theme “Agriculture and Food Security”.

The statement noted that the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government would be preceded by a session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee.

Addis Ababa In Fresh Effort To Rescue Abducted Chibock Girls

NAN reports that the AU has announced plans to engage the Federal Government and other stakeholders in a meeting, in a fresh move to rescue the more than 200 girls abducted by insurgents in Chibok, Borno.

The AU Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, Mrs Benita Diop, made the disclosure at the close of the Conference of Ministers of Social Development in Addis Ababa on Saturday.

Diop, who is to lead a delegation to Abuja on Monday, June 2, is to intimate the Federal Government on the “new approach’’ to rescue the girls, abducted on April 14.