People’s Elephant Home Defeat At Enyimba International Stadium Aba Leaves Fans in Shock
Enyimba of Aba Assistant Coach, Ndubuisi Nduka, has described the People’s Elephant’s 2-1 defeat by Warri Wolves in Sunday’s NPFL 2025/2026 Matchday 9 fixture at Enyimba International Stadium Aba as a “thunderbolt” and “a very bitter pill to swallow”, Completesports.com reports.
Enyimba are now winless in three consecutive games, following a 1-0 loss away to Khun Khalifat on Matchday 8 and a draw against Finidi George’s Rivers United on Matchday 7.
Defender Mohammed Hussaini turned the ball into his own net 18 minutes after kick-off as the Seasiders took a shock lead.
The People’s Elephant responded swiftly, with Ezekiel Edidiong’s clinical finish in the 27th minute restoring parity for the nine-time Nigerian champions, re-igniting belief among the packed Enyimba faithful.
Also Read: NPFL: Wolves Stun Enyimba In Aba, Ikorodu City End Nasarawa United Unbeaten Streak
Despite raising their urgency and pressing for a second-half winner, the two-time African champions failed to convert several well-crafted chances.
Eguma’s Team Punished For Missed Chances
Their wastefulness proved costly, as Tejiri Emonena restored the Seasiders’ lead in the 66th minute — a goal that sealed victory for the visitors.
A distraught Nduka, a former Plateau United and Heartland head coach who spoke after the match in place of Head Coach Stanley Eguma, admitted the result was the least the People’s Elephant had planned or worked for.
“This is a very bitter pill, very difficult. I don’t know how to explain it,” began Nduka in an emotional tone. “When I reflect on our performances from week one through to week seven, and see how things have gone down into tatters from week eight, it’s painful,” he said, visibly crestfallen.
People’s Elephant’s Struggles Deepen
The loss compounds Enyimba’s recent struggles, following a home draw with Rivers United and back-to-back defeats to Khun Khalifat FC and now Warri Wolves — results that have rattled the nine-time league champions.
“After our game in Owerri where we lost to Khun Khalifat, we met and the boys promised to make things right. We did everything right — prepared well, gave them rest, worked on our tactics.
“But football can be very funny sometimes. Today, we got the worst result,” Nduka lamented.
Nduka Confident Enyimba Will Bounce Back
“We’ve played tougher matches here and still came out of it. But today, we didn’t quite get it right. We’ll take a hard look at our mistakes, identify the problems, and fix them,” he said.
The coach, however, remains optimistic that the People’s Elephant will rediscover their rhythm.
“We are not going to give up. We’ll talk to ourselves, know where we got it wrong. It’s not something emotions will solve. We’ll face the realities and find solutions.
“Whatever the problem is, we’ll sort it out — and it’s going to start showing from our next match,” Nduka assured.
The People’s Elephant will travel to Jos to face Plateau United in a Matchday 10 fixture this Sunday.
By Sab Osuji
