Lobi Stars target NPFL promotion ahead of 2026/2027 season

By Ejire Folakunmi

The Chairman of Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, Simon Ikya, says the club’s sole target is to gain promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) for the 2026/2027 season. Ikya stated this while addressing newsmen in Makurdi on Thursday regarding the club’s progress during the just-concluded Nigerian National League (NNL) season.

Ikya, who took over the reins of the club mid-season, noted that the team did their best but narrowly missed out on returning to the NPFL. The club finished second in NNL Conference C behind Doma United of Gombe. The chairman identified several challenges that scuttled the team’s efforts, including playing home matches away from Makurdi, an over-bloated squad, and various legal issues.

“But when the governor gave me the go-ahead to do everything humanly possible to bring the team back to Makurdi, we began playing our home matches at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi," Ikya explained. "Playing away from home meant we were basically playing all our games away, and it was costing us too much money."

He further explained that the management worked to add "bite" to the team, resulting in a stronger performance during the second round of the season. To address the challenge of an over-bloated squad, which consisted of 67 players, Ikya reviewed the roster, selecting 25 players for "Team A" and moving the remainder to "Team B".

Ikya noted that the high wage bill was taking a toll on the club and assured that players whose contracts have expired will be released. "We finished second, which wasn’t our target," he said. "I didn’t handle recruitment and I didn’t come in on time. But next season, I won’t have any excuses. Our target will be promotion, and we must get the right players to achieve it."

The chairman commended the state governor for being supportive and expressed confidence that with proper recruitment and preparation, the team has no excuse not to gain promotion next season.