By Mark Baber
September 29 – Ahead of tomorrow’s Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Presidential and Executive committee elections the dispute about their legitimacy rages whilst the outgoing President and other officials are seeking a court injunction against the Nigerian security services (DSS) for harassment.
After being again detained on his return from Brazil after the World Cup, again on the eve of a crucial NFF meeting and yet again last week after returning from a FIFA meeting, outgoing head of Nigeria’s football federation, Aminu Maigari is seeking a court injunction against the security services to prevent further “harassment” according to his solicitor, human rights advocate Festus Keyamo.
The complaint reads, “We hope you realise that any action on your part in form of continuous invitations, harassments, arrests and detentions will undermine the authority of the court in this regard.”
According to the complainants the various harassments have been aimed at derailing tomorrow’s elections and the complainants state that: “If your actions precipitate a crisis that bungles the congress, our clients shall not be held responsible for any fate that befalls our football from FIFA.”
In a statement the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos Chapter also decried the arrests saying, “In the last four days alone, we have had four different persons including the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, and the General Secretary, Barrister Musa Ahmadu, Barrister Chris Green and some of the election candidates who were equally picked up on separate days.”
Even if the elections, which have been decried as illegitimate by Chris Giwa, who regards himself as the legitimately elected president, do go ahead tomorrow without a court injunction being served, there is no doubt that legal challenges to its legitimacy will continue.
This fact was underlined as Segun Odegbami, former Captain of the Nigerian national football team, issued a petition to the Nigerian Sports Minister, which was copied in to FIFA and CAF, laying out various grounds under which tomorrow’s election has failed to meet FIFA’s stipulations that new elections for the NFF “should be open to all persons, complying with the NFF Statutes and regulations. These elections should also to be organized as soon as possible under the NFF statutes and Regulations.”
According to Odegbami, several stakeholders including himself have been disenfranchised, the makeup of the electoral committee has not been properly justified and the timetable and process for the new elections are not in accord with a number of NFF rules, including the article of NFF regulations which states: “The final official list of candidates shall be sent to all members of the general assembly and, where necessary, to the relevant government bodies no less than 30 days before the elective general assembly is held. It shall also be published in the press.”
Odegami notes the whole process of nomination, screening and publication has taken just days which is “preposterous” and in defiance of FIFA’s crisis-resolution intention.
The elective congress is set to be held in Warri tomorrow, with each of the candidates expected to give 10 minute speeches setting out their platforms this evening.
The seven officially recognised candidates for President are Pinnick Amaju Melvin, Taiwo Ogunjobi, Abba Yola, Chief Mike Umeh, Amanze Uchegbulam, Dominic Iorfa, and Shehu Dikko.
Those sitting out these elections, but who can be expected to play a crucial role in the coming days include Chris Giwa, Obinna Ogba, Johnson Effiong and Segun Odegbami.
At least some of the aggrieved candidates and those sitting tomorrow’s exercise out will undoubtedly be going to court.
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