The axiom that “when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers” is currently playing out in the Nigeria football sector, with the nation’s elite football league, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) at the receiving end of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership crisis.
The leadership crisis, which has been on for nearly four years, came to a head two weeks ago, precisely on Jul 2, when the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development directed the NFF to comply with the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on April 27, 2018, which restored the orders of the Federal High Court, setting aside the purported election into the Executive Committee of the NFF held on September 30, 2014 that produced Amaju Pinnick as the federation’s president.
Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung said in a statement that the directive followed a written notification signed for the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice requesting the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports to ensure compliance.
The notification states thus; “I have been directed to notify you of the Orders dated June 5th 2018 made by Honorable Justice M. H. Kurya sitting at the Federal High Court Jos in respect of the above mentioned suit between Yahaya Adama vs Alhaji Aminu Maigari which states that the election of the NFF held on August 26, 2014 under the leadership of Ambassador Chris Giwa be given recognition pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed in this case and that the purported ban of the Executive Committee elected on August 26, 2014 from football activities of the NFF is unconstitutional, null and void.
“It is trite law that court orders are sacrosanct and any acts of disobedience to it constitute threat to the rule of law. Consequent upon the above, you are hereby advised to comply with the orders of court made therein which for now, is the valid and binding order of court, in the absence of any other subsisting order or judgment to the contrary”.
Consequently, Barrister Dalung has however directed the parties involved to comply with the court order.
“This is a court order and not from Dalung. I will not want to go to Kuje prison because of disobedience of court orders. Therefore, I hereby comply with the court orders of June 5th 2018, while Mr Amaju Pinnick and others are also directed to comply with same,” the statement read.
Hours after the statement, Giwa, who has since insisted that he is the duly elected president of the NFF, arrived at the NFF headquarters amid heavy security operatives to take control of the body.
Giwa, who stormed the Area 7 secretariat of the football governing body in company of board members Dr. Shehu Adamu, Yahaya Adama, Sani Fema, Effiong Johnson, Senator Obinna Ogba and Otunba Dele Ajayi, later told reporters after a meeting with secretariat staff that he was in the secretariat to reclaim his mandate.
“I am here to claim my mandate as the substantive chairman elected on August 26, 2014.
“We waited for the other board to finish the preparations for World Cup so that we can assume office,” Giwa said.
Giwa also promised to embark on reconciliation of all aggrieved members for the success of the federation, stressing that Nigeria’s sovereignty could not be threatened by any foreign interest.
But Pinnick, through his counsel, Festus Keyamo (SAN) is still battling at a Jos Federal High Court to upturn the judgment and return to office.
While the two parties continue with the legal battle, the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Chris Giwa and the League Management Company (LMC) Ltd delved into another leg of the battle, as they fight for the control of the Nigeria Professional Football League.
While the new NFF board directed Chairman of the League Management Company, Mallam Shehu Dikko and the Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar to step aside following their committal to prison, the LMC on the other hands insisted that the duo would stay put because their action is base on its governance regulations.
The NFF issued a statement directing the two LMC officials to vacate their seats, saying Justice Ishaku Kunda had committed them to prison at the Jos Federal Prison for disobedience to the orders of the court to serve for 14 days in the first instance until they purge themselves of disobedience.
The statement, signed by Victor Iroele, SSA to the president on Media, also said, besides, Dikko is being investigated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development as directed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for allegations of financial corruption and sundry issues triggered by petition of ethical administration of the League, and Nigeria Football Federation.
The NFF, while announcing the shift in the resumption of the Nigerian league by two weeks, also through the Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, approved the redeployment of Head of Female League, Ayo Abdulrahman to the League Management Company as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
But the LMC, which also called for the temporally suspension of the league, said the statement by the NFF was a clear contravention of the known football governance statutes and regulations.
It says, “the LMC has so far maintained a studied silence since the contrived crisis in the NFF took root as we always believed the extant football rules, regulations and statutes would ultimately prevail and the company would want to, in line with it’s own governance rules, maintain this stand.
“It needs be stated, however, that the so-called committal which was done ex-parte (in the absence of the officers) was appealed in 2016 and quashed by the Court of Appeal, Jos Division, in April 2017. Given the shocking violation of the rules of fair hearing in the proceedings and conduct of the case at first instance, the Lower Court Judge was reported to the Nigeria Judicial Commission (NJC) for misconduct, by LMC.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for public guidance, the LMC is a limited liability company governed by all applicable law, operated and governed by the LMC governance structure which was approved by the 20 NPFL club in 2013, NFF Executive Committee in 2014 and indeed ratified by a bona fide General Assembly (Congress) of the NFF at its meeting in Lagos 2014. “The LMC governance structure is also registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in line with its extant rules on corporate governance.
“Accordingly, the LMC Regulations or governance structure has clear cut provisions and processes for appointing and removing its directors, including the Chairman and COO among others.
“The LMC looks forward to a speedy resolution of all issues in Nigerian football administration in line with the stipulated rules and regulations within the football statutes (NFF and FIFA Statutes) and would elect to monitor situations as they would affect the smooth administration of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), in line with the mandate granted it by the NFF General Assembly (Congress), the highest legislative decision making organ in national football administration,” the LMC said.
As it stands, action in the Nigeria Professional Football League remains suspended until the resolution of the NFF leadership crisis.
