Nigeria’s Own Votes Undermine Osimhen, Ajibade, Nwabali At 2025 CAF Awards

According to Ireporter Online, Nigeria’s participation in the 2025 CAF Awards has sparked controversy following the release of the detailed voting results, which revealed that several Nigerian voters undermined their own nominees.

Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi dominated the African Footballer of the Year category, amassing 533 points—nearly matching the combined total of Mohamed Salah and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen. Salah finished second with 317 points, while Osimhen, despite an outstanding season at Galatasaray where he won the league and cup double and ended as top scorer, came third with 240 points. Hakimi’s triumph marks the first time a Moroccan has won the award since 1998, following an impressive year that included winning Ligue 1, the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, and helping Morocco qualify for the 2026 World Cup unbeaten.

Attention in Nigeria, however, focused less on Hakimi’s success than on unexpected voting choices by some Nigerian representatives. Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi, acting as a CAF Technical Expert, controversially placed Osimhen fifth, awarding him just one point, while ranking Hakimi, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Salah higher. In contrast, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle and captain William Troost-Ekong ranked Osimhen first.

Similar trends appeared in other categories. Flying Eagles captain Daniel Bameyi was ranked 10th in the Young Men’s Player category, partly because Nigeria’s media voter, Oluwashina Okeleji, omitted him from the top five. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, despite strong performances, was placed eighth in the Goalkeeper of the Year category due to Okeleji’s top vote for Cameroon’s Andre Onana.

The Women’s Player of the Year category also saw controversy. Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak won with 223 points, while Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo placed second and third. Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu ranked Okoronkwo first, Ajibade second, but Nigeria’s media representative Samuel Ahmadu ranked Ajibade fifth, favoring Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga instead.

Even in categories where Nigerians excelled, such as Chiamaka Nnadozie winning Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for the third consecutive year, Ahmadu placed her fifth. Flamingos captain Shakirat Moshood finished second in the Women’s Young Player category, again with Ahmadu ranking her fifth. The Super Falcons narrowly secured the Women’s National Team of the Year award with 106 points over Morocco’s 98, nearly jeopardized by Ahmadu placing Nigeria fifth.

The voting patterns have ignited debates across Nigerian football circles about the influence of individual ballots on the nation’s representation at the prestigious CAF Awards.