The 2025 CAF Awards ceremony may have celebrated Africa’s finest footballers, but in Nigeria, the bigger conversation has been about something far more troubling: the country’s own representatives voted in ways that weakened the chances of Nigerian stars across multiple categories, according to Soccernet. The voting breakdown, released after the ceremony, revealed patterns that have sparked outrage among fans and raised questions about loyalty, judgment, and the country’s role in continental football politics.
Achraf Hakimi’s dominant victory as African Footballer of the Year was historic, but the spotlight in Nigeria quickly shifted to how Victor Osimhen — a top contender — was treated by voters from his own country. Despite a season in which he fired Galatasaray to a league and cup double, finished as top scorer and picked up several individual awards, Osimhen finished third behind Hakimi and Mohamed Salah. What shocked many Nigerians was learning that Daniel Amokachi, serving as a CAF Technical Expert, placed Osimhen fifth on his ballot, awarding him the minimum possible point. In contrast, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle and captain William Troost-Ekong gave Osimhen their top vote. For many fans, Amokachi’s ballot became the symbol of a deeper problem.
The voting controversy extended beyond Osimhen. In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, Stanley Nwabali saw his chances weakened when media representative Oluwashina Okeleji opted not to vote him first, placing him behind Cameroon’s André Onana. That decision had a measurable impact on the final rankings, despite Nwabali being top choice for both his national team coach and captain.
The Young Men’s Player category also saw Nigeria’s hopes dented. Daniel Bameyi, captain of the Flying Eagles, failed to get a single vote from Okeleji, who omitted him entirely from his top five. It was another instance in which Nigerians abroad enjoyed more faith from neutral voters than from their own representatives.
However, it was the women’s categories that suffered the greatest hit. In the Women’s Player of the Year race, Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak edged out Nigeria’s leading candidates Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo. While both Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and team captain voted Ajibade and Okoronkwo highly, media representative Samuel Ahmadu placed the Nigerians far lower than expected — ranking Okoronkwo third and Ajibade fifth. His vote provided a significant boost to Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga at the expense of Nigeria’s frontrunners. Even Morocco’s coach placed Ajibade above Chebbak.
Ahmadu’s voting pattern repeated across several women’s categories. Despite Chiamaka Nnadozie claiming the Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third straight year, she received only a fifth-place vote from him. Rising star Shakirat Moshood also finished second in her category after Ahmadu again ranked a Nigerian fifth, undermining her bid for the prize.
The most dramatic example came in the National Women’s Team of the Year category. Nigeria’s Super Falcons, fresh from winning the 2025 WAFCON, should have been runaway winners. Instead, they edged Morocco by just eight points. The margin was so thin because Ahmadu — the only voter to do so — placed Tanzania first and Nigeria fifth. His ballot was the outlier that nearly cost the country one of its most deserved awards of the night.