A recreational football competition organised at the weekend by the High Commission of Canada in Abuja has been praised for providing diplomats from various countries with opportunities for togetherness, closeness and enjoyment.

Sports247 reports that the accolades came from the honorary consul of Colombia to Nigeria, Mrs Maricel Cantillo, who noted that the diplomats’ football competition provided values of sportsmanship and unity that are provided at the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

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Cantillo noted that the competition in Abuja symbolised the World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting alongside United States of America and Mexico, in what becomes the first time three countries will stage the Mundial together.

She added that her country was happy to be part of the event that provided an opportunity for diplomats, families, friends, journalists and participating teams to celebrate the unifying power of football in a recreational manner.

The honorary consul also praised the organisers for promoting gender equality and inclusion through the mandatory participation of female players in every team, which she said made the event much more exciting and commendable.

“I would like to highlight the fact that every team had two female players, and you were not allowed to swap a female player for a male. That sets a strong motion towards making sure that we have slots secured for women at all levels.

“It also allowed us to enjoy and celebrate the beauty of football, which is a fantastic sport that brings us together. The matches were fantastic, the teams showed great energy, and there were no issues. It was a very exciting day.

“It is an opportunity for togetherness, closeness, enjoyment and to continue promoting the beauty of football. Everybody played on a very positive note, bringing out the beauty of teams, communities and friends that we all are,” Cantillo submitted.

The chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who participated in the June 13, 2026, local government election in Adamawa State, have rejected its outcome.

Describing the election as a charade, the candidates are calling for a fresh poll.

The election in question produced chairmen-elect of the state’s 21 local government areas and councillors-elect for 226 wards, all from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Addressing journalists in Yola, the candidates alleged that the exercise conducted by the Adamawa State Independent Electoral Commission (ADSIEC) lacked the basic ingredients of credibility.

One of the candidates, Abubakar Ahmadu, who spoke for all the candidates, said, “We wish to state emphatically that elections did not hold in all the local government councils across the state on June 13, 2026. We therefore wonder how results were concocted and how winners emerged.”

Ahmadu alleged that the announced results did not reflect the will of the people and could not be accepted.

“The purported conduct of the Adamawa council poll represents the height of electoral banditry,” he declared.

The ADC candidates called on democracy advocates and constitutional rights groups to intervene and defend democratic principles in the state.

Insisting that they do not recognise the announced winners, the ADC candidates demanded that ADSIEC fix a new date for a credible, transparent and inclusive local government election across Adamawa State.