Nigeria basketball coaches, referees, technical commissioners and statisticians have distanced themselves from the politics that have torn the Nigeria Basketball Federation into two and warned that no club, referee or technical official should suffer any sanction for participating in the Kwese Premier League Conference 6 and the Final 8 coming up next month.

In a seven-point communique issued after a joint stake-holders meeting held at the weekend at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Township Stadium in Ilorin, they expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the Kwese Premier League by the NBBF.

“No faction in the NBBF dispute should stop any club from participating in the Kwese Premier League Conference 6 play-offs as well as the Final 8, scheduled for next month,” they stated.

Since the key actors in the league, the players are more interested in the development of the sport, the meeting reasoned, “no club playing in the Kwese League must be threatened or penalised as the players “are not party to the politics of the federation.”

The meeting also frowned at those seeking to take control of the federation against “due process” and warned in strong terms against intimidation.

The meeting expressed solidarity with Mark Mentors and Defenders Basketball clubs that were stopped from participating in the Conference 6 play-offs in the Savannah Conference and urged all parties involved in the politics of the federation to play according to the rules.

The meeting resolved to communicate its decision to the Secretary General of FIBA and copy FIBA Africa, the NOC and the IOC.