Duro Ikhazuagbe
With the tenure of the current board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) expected to terminate in September, the Federal Government has directed the leadership of the federation to ensure that elective congress holds in line with its statute.
Until yesterday, there have been speculations in football circles in the country that the elections may not hold in September due to a pending matter in a Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
But in a letter addressed to the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and the board of the federation by Sports Minister, Chief Sunday Dare, said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the NFF to immediately commence the process that will lead to holding new elections into its Executive Committee at the expiration of the current administration in September.
President Buhari also directed that the instrument of football administration in the country, the NFF Statutes be amended to include other stakeholders, who had hitherto been disenfranchised, or denied equal representation in the Federation’s congress.
The letter reinforced the Federal Government’s support for football development in the country, urging the leadership of the NFF to ensure that the amended statute reflects national yearnings, aspirations and peculiarities of Nigeria as a sovereign nation whilst aligning with the principles and objectives of football as set by the world soccer governing body, FIFA.
In what is generally seen as moves to ensure that the congress holds in September, a group which described itself as Concerned Congress Members of the Nigeria Football Federation and the Professional Football Players Association of Nigeria PFAN/ Project 2022 Task Force met yesterday at the Reno Hotel in Abuja to deliberate on how to vacate the Suit No. FHC/YNG/CS/133/2021 filed Seigha Obiene.
Obiene had in the suit insisted that five members of the Congress that participated in the NFF elections in Katsina that gave Amaju Pinnick a second tenure in office as President in 2018 did so illegally and so the result of that election be declared null and void.
In the unsigned Communique issued after the meeting in Abuja, the Concerned Congress Members and the players union, revealed that the plaintiff has agreed to withdraw the suit from court to pave way for the elective congress in September.
It however gave as part of the conditions to withdraw the suit, the leadership of the federation must immediately convene the emergency General Assembly of the NFF.
“The AGA in which the Congress will discuss the way forward for Nigeria football in compliance with the statutes and for the sake of the good order.”
Just last weekend, the NFF was ordered by the government to expand its statute to accommodate more members.
28 states FA chairmen had sent notice to the NFF secretariat asking it to vacate the ex-parte order stopping the federation from holding the congress in September.
