Crisis looms around in the Nigeria football association as a Jos High Court led by Justice Ambrose Allagoa on Thursday, October 23, 2014 annulled the elections conducted in Warri on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 that brought in Amaju Pinnick and new executives into Nigerian Football Federation.
It was alleged that Messrs Obinna Ogba and Yahaya Adamu of the Giwa-led faction had dragged the immediate past Chairman of NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari and the NFF Secretary General, Musa Amadu, to court seeking for orders to restrain Magari as the first defendant, the NFF as the second defendant and Football Association as the third defendant from conducting another election after the Giwa-led faction was elected, Punch reports.
Allagoa noted that the election was conducted against the directives of the court.
The court however ruled that Chris Giwa, who emerged President in a highly disputed election process in Abuja, on August 26, should instead return to the seat of power in the Glass House and this automatically sacks the new president and the executive members.
Allagoa said, “I have set aside all the proceedings and decisions of the Warri Extra Ordinary meeting of the 20th September and the Elective Congress of 30th September which were direct contravention of the orders of this court as granted on the 19th September. Nobody should foist on the court a complete case of hopelessness so that the principles of law and justice can be upheld. Its not enough to say that the order of court was wrongly made, no matter how unorthodox, its subsisting orders, unless set aside, remains law and must be respected.”
Notwithstanding the court ruling, the Executive Committee of Nigeria Football Federation filed for appeal against the court ruling.
First Vice President of NFF, Mr. Seyi Akinwunmi said, “We have been notified of the ruling of the court, which was made in spite of our filing for a Preliminary Objection concerning the jurisdiction of the court.
“However, our lawyers went to work immediately the order was made. We are appealing the ruling and also filing for Stay of Execution of the order.”
