FIFA-licensed agent Eddie Iseri Ogbemudia has sounded a stark warning over Dakkada FC’s dramatic exit from the 2025/2026 Nigeria National League (NNL), suggesting serious repercussions if they do not reverse their decision.
Dakkada FC withdrew after the NNL Board rejected their request to join Conference B — the same group as their sister club, Akwa United. The league officially turned down the request, citing “integrity concerns” due to both clubs being owned by the same entity. One senior NNL figure told Sports247 that the move risked undermining the competition.
Ogbemudia, visibly taken aback, questioned why Dakkada would pull out over what he called “a weak justification.” He urged the club’s management to reconsider, warning that if they stand by their decision, they could face a multi-year ban from future league participation.
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His concern also extends to the club’s players and staff. With contracts already signed, many are set for a new season — but now face uncertainty. “These contracted players and staff may suffer career setbacks because they cannot immediately switch to other clubs after the transfer window has closed,” Ogbemudia stated.
Legally, he noted, Dakkada remains bound by their current contracts. Failure to honour these commitments could spark claims before the NFF Players Status and Arbitration Committee.
Dakkada, once known as Akwa Comets, rebranded and eventually earned promotion to the NPFL in 2016. They were relegated after the 2021/2022 season, but until their withdrawal, were slated to begin the new campaign away to Beyond Limit FA in Ikenne.
The NNL Board is expected to respond publicly, likely announcing sanctions or fixture reshuffles, now that Dakkada’s exit has been accepted. The league opened its 2025/2026 season last weekend with a match between Basira FC and Mighty Jets in Lafia, and the other week-one games are set for this weekend.
Editorial
In a season that promised competitive rejuvenation for the Nigeria National League, Dakkada FC’s abrupt withdrawal feels less like a blip and more like a symptom of systemic fragility. The heart of the matter lies not just in their demand to be grouped with Akwa United — a request that smacks of undue influence but in what their departure reveals about governance, ambition and the tangled webs of ownership in Nigerian football.
Eddie Iseri Ogbemudia, a seasoned FIFA-licensed agent, did not mince his words when he warned of a multi-season ban and contractual chaos. His tone was not just cautionary it was authoritative and grave, underscoring that the club’s gamble may come at a severe cost. He understands what many casual observers might miss football is not merely played on the pitch but negotiated in boardrooms where legal obligations and regulatory norms are the foundation of any credible competition.
The NNL Board’s refusal to accede to Dakkada’s request was principled affiliation cannot grant a club carte blanche to choose its path. But the backlash, in the form of withdrawal, speaks to a deeper malaise. If a club can pick and choose its conference, what message does that send to the rest of the league? Structure gives meaning without it, the very essence of competition becomes hollow.
It is also poignant to consider the human toll of this drama. Players and staff, bound by contracts, are caught in limbo. Their professional lives are ensnared in a dispute that may deprive them of playing time and even derail careers. Those behind the scenes who negotiated in good faith now risk seeing their work unravelled.
If the NNL intends to maintain its credibility and if Nigerian football more broadly hopes to mature it must respond decisively. Whatever sanctions follow, they must reflect not just the rules broken but the principle of fair play. Private ambitions should not trample public trust. Dakkada’s exit must serve as a warning, not as a precedent.
In this moment, Nigerian football must reaffirm that integrity matters and that no single club, however connected, should bend the league to its will. The game is bigger than one team. Let us hope that the response rises to meet that truth.
Did You Know?
- Dakkada FC’s Origins: The club was originally founded as Akwa Starlet FC before rebranding to Dakkada FC in 2019.
- Stadium Home: Dakkada FC plays its home games at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
- Relegation History: The club was relegated from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) after the 2021/2022 season.
- Regulation Breach Elsewhere: In the same season’s NNL, 1472 FC was expelled for failing to honour three matches.
- Agent Regulation in Nigeria: FIFA-certified agents in Nigeria have recently called for stricter enforcement against unlicensed agents, citing risks to player welfare and contract integrity.
