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The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports development has directed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to comply with the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on April 27, 2018, which asked the warring NFF factions to return to the Federal High Court which later in June, gave recognistion to the Chris Giwa led executives elected on August 26, 2014.
The current NFF headed by Amaju Pinnic was elected on September 30, 2014.
The Supreme Court had ruled that the lingering legal tussle between the Chris Giwa faction and the present NFF board be referred back to the Federal High Court to be tried properly and faster by the High Court. And the Federal High Court, Jos, on June 5, 2018 ruled that the election held by the Chris Giwa faction on August 26, 2014, be given recognition. The court also declared as unconstitutional, null and void, the ban placed on Giwa and his factional executives.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, in a statement on Monday, said his ministry’s directive to the NFF followed a written notification signed for the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, requesting the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports to ensure compliance.
The Malami notification reads: “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 Amb 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 constitutes 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.”
Accordimg to Dalung, “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 order compels the defendants, including the Minister of Youth and Sports, their servants, agents and privies howsoever, the Inspector General of Police and all law enforcement agencies to forthwith enforce the orders made by the court on September 19, 2014 and October 23, 2014 and give recognition to the General Assembly Meeting and election of the NFF held on August 26, 2014 under the leadership of Amb Chris Giwa pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed in this case.
The notirication and orders have however not been clear as to what should happen to Pinnick and his board.
But FIFA has reterated its recognition of the Pinnick-led exco. FIFA in a correspondence with NFF and CAF said it will maintain dealings with the Pinnick-led NFF board despite the Supreme Court ruling which the Chris Giwa-led faction had interpreted as allowing them to take over the administration of football in Nigeria.
Giwa was among the five football administrators banned by FIFA in February 2017. Also banned were Muazu Suleyman, Yahaya Adama, Sani Fema and Johnson Effiong. They were banned worldwide for five years for breaching the Nigerian Football Federation’s Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics.
The Giwa faction and its own elected board had dragged the current board of the NFF-led by Pinnick to the Supreme Court, asking it to set aside the verdict of the Appeal Court after they had won at the Federal High Court, Jos. The High Court had ruled in favour of the Giwa election held at the Chida Hotel, Abuja.
They also insisted that the Warri election that brought in the Pinnick group was held in defiance of a High Court order.
After their election in August 26, 2014, the Giwa faction tried to stop the Pinnick election scheduled for September 30, 2014 by going to Federal High Court in Jos and filed a suit praying the court to declare those elected on August 26, 2014, as the legitimate executive committee members of the NFF.
The defendants to the suit were the then outgone executive committee of the NFF represented by its President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, and Musa Adamu, the Plateau State Football Association representing the football association in the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory, and the Minister of Sports.