No fewer than 2,000 members of IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja, have signed a petition calling for reopening of the club.
The club has been embroiled in a leadership crisis that prompted intervention by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The petition was signed on Tuesday at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, following a stakeholders meeting held on Friday at Golf and Health Signature, Abuja.
The petitioners sought to distance themselves from a lawsuit filed by three club members against the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Wike appointed Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal, as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the club on April 5, replacing Gen. IBM Haruna.
Other appointees to the Board of Trustees included Olusegun Runsewe, Grace Ihonvbere, S.I. Ameh (SAN), Hamid Abbo, Victor Adedipe, Patrick Chidolue, and Ben Ikokwu.
Former Board of Trustees members IBM Haruna, Alfred Diete-Spiff, Tim Menakaya, and Babagana Kingibe were named patrons of the club, while Philip Asiodu was dropped.
Wike stressed that the intervention reflected the FCT Administration’s commitment to restoring order and efficiency to the prestigious club.
The leadership crisis raised concerns about governance and structural reforms, with some members supporting the minister’s involvement.
However, three members — Ubong Akpan, Tijani Ogueyi, and Olalere Babasola — obtained an interim court order restraining the Minister from inaugurating new Board of Trustees members.
The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on April 24 in favour of the trio, restraining the purported trustees appointed by Wike from presiding over the club’s Annual General Meeting scheduled for April 26.
To stabilise the situation, Wike appointed a ten-member Interim Management Committee chaired by Peter Deshi to oversee the club’s administration.
To prevent further unrest, operatives of the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services were deployed to secure the premises.
The facility remains under tight surveillance, with access restricted to essential personnel such as security officers and groundkeepers.
Even Interim Management Committee members undergo identification checks before entry.
Sources disclosed the closure is also being used as an opportunity for comprehensive renovations aimed at upgrading the club to international standards.
The overhaul, entrusted to Julius Berger, the original designer of the course in 1991, will be jointly funded by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Federal Ministry of Works, and National Sports Commission.
(NAN)