How Nigerians Worked Against Osimhen, Ajibade, Nwabali, Others At 2025 CAF Awards

 

Nigeria’s showing at the 2025 CAF Awards has stirred fresh debate after the detailed voting breakdown revealed that several Nigerian representatives cast ballots that weakened the chances of their own top contenders.

 Achraf Hakimi walked away with the African Footballer of the Year prizeafter a dominant sweep of the ballot.

The Moroccan defender gathered 533 points, almost equalling the combined totals of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen.

Salah closed with 317 points, while Osimhen, despite a stellar season at Galatasaray where he won the league and cup double and finished as top scorer, ended in third place with 240 points. He had previously won the award in 2023.

Hakimi’s achievement was historic as he became the first Moroccan to secure the honour since 1998.

The full-back enjoyed an exceptional year, lifting Ligue 1, winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and helping Morocco qualify for the 2026 World Cup without losing a match.

Yet across Nigeria, attention has shifted from Hakimi’s rise to the surprising voting choices made by some Nigerians.

One of the most talked-about ballots came from Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi, who served as a CAF Technical Expert.

Amokachi placed Osimhen in fifth position, giving him only one point. His top picks were Hakimi, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Mohamed Salah, with Serhou Guirassy in fourth place.

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle and captain William Troost-Ekong took a different view, listing Osimhen as their first choice and selecting Hakimi as second, followed by Pape Matar Sarr.

The trend of Nigerians voting against their own nominees continued across other categories. Flying Eagles captain Daniel Bameyi finished 10th in the Young Men’s Player category, partly because Nigeria’s media voter, Oluwashina Okeleji, left him out of his top five altogether.

Stanley Nwabali, who delivered a standout year for club and country, placed eighth in the Goalkeeper of the Year category. His coach and captain both ranked him as their first choice, but Okeleji opted for Cameroon’s Andre Onana as his top pick, pushing Nwabali to second on his ballot.

The most heated contest emerged in the Women’s Player of the Year category. Ghizlane Chebbak of Morocco topped the table with 223 points, ahead of Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade with 155 and Esther Okoronkwo with 134.

Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu backed Okoronkwo first, Ajibade second and Chebbak third. Even Morocco coach Jorge Vilda placed Ajibade above Chebbak.

Nigeria’s media representative in the women’s category, Samuel Ahmadu, again broke expectations. He ranked Okoronkwo third and Ajibade fifth, giving his top votes to Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga. His ballot proved costly for Nigeria’s hopes in the standings.

Chiamaka Nnadozie retained the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third straight year, but Ahmadu still rated her fifth. At the same time, both Madugu and Ajibade listed her as their preferred choice.

In the Women’s Young Player category, Flamingos captain Shakirat Moshood finished second behind Morocco’s Doha El Madani. Ahmadu once more placed Nigeria’s nominee in fifth position.

Even Nigeria’s Women’s National Team of the Year win, secured after their triumphant WAFCON campaign, was almost jeopardised. The Super Falcons earned 106 points, narrowly beating Morocco’s 98. Ahmadu, however, placed Tanzania first and Nigeria fifth, the only judge to do so.