There seemed to be no end in sight in the annulled elections of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) as FIFA and CAF, which sent two men to monitor the election last month have accused the Nigerian body of not telling the truth regarding a court order from a Lagos High Court.

The two FIFA and CAF officials reported back to their respective bosses that they were tricked into believing that there was no pending order from court, hence their tacit approval for the election to go ahead as scheduled.

Led by FIFA Head of National Associations, Primo Carvaro, the team was said to be shocked at the reports that trailed the elections, pointing out that if it was indeed true that a local court issued orders stopping the elections, then top persons in the nation’s football administration, as well as FIFA Executive Committee members, Dr Amos Adamu should know and since he did not inform them of any of such cases, they had to okay the election to go ahead.

One of the officials, we learnt, was furious that both Aminu Maigari and Musa Amadu were economical with the truth, while denying several inquiries by the visitors about the true state of affairs prior to the annulled polls.

A former member of the board disclosed that the FIFA men told him on telephone over the weekend that their effort to get the true position of things with regard to the court orders was thwarted by the duo of Maigari, then acting president of the federation and the acting general secretary, Musa Amadu.
Dr Peter Singabele and former NFA vice president, Obinna Ogba, had reportedly admitted that the federation was served the orders of the Lagos court.

“The monitors we gathered are particularly pained that the action of the individuals has put FIFA and CAF in bad light and creating the wrong impression that FIFA and CAF meddle in the internal affairs of member nations.”

It was also learnt that FIFA has since written to NFA to get the true picture of things following the annulment of the election, but were yet to get any meaningful explanation from the football association.
“FIFA relies only on explanation given to it by the leadership of the association and in the present instance, the NFA president and the general secretary or its executive member as the case may be. So, what we have seen here is a case where the association has told both FIFA and CAF lies and this could attract sanction. So, if Nigeria is banned because of this, it is good now we know who to blame.
“This is exactly what one of the election monitors told me; that they asked Amadu and Maigari and both of them denied that there was court injunction,” stated our source.
Asked to react to the allegation, Alhaji Maigari said the case was in court and he would not want to be dragged into it.

A reliable source hinted that FIFA has in fact written the association to get the true picture of the development in the light of the decision.
Amadu we gathered, specifically told the FIFA and CAF monitors that there was no court injunction stopping the election.

According to the FIFA chief, the two, Singabele and Obinna Ogba, both former board members of the board had continued to stress that the Maigari-led board was aware of the order and was severally summoned by the National Sports Commission (NSC) in that regard.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/sportsonthehour/2010/sept/13/sportsbreak-13-09-2010-001.htm

wales:

There seemed to be no end in sight in the annulled elections of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) as FIFA and CAF, which sent two men to monitor the election last month have accused the Nigerian body of not telling the truth regarding a court order from a Lagos High Court.

The two FIFA and CAF officials reported back to their respective bosses that they were tricked into believing that there was no pending order from court, hence their tacit approval for the election to go ahead as scheduled.

Led by FIFA Head of National Associations, Primo Carvaro, the team was said to be shocked at the reports that trailed the elections, pointing out that if it was indeed true that a local court issued orders stopping the elections, then top persons in the nation’s football administration, as well as FIFA Executive Committee members, Dr Amos Adamu should know and since he did not inform them of any of such cases, they had to okay the election to go ahead.

One of the officials, we learnt, was furious that both Aminu Maigari and Musa Amadu were economical with the truth, while denying several inquiries by the visitors about the true state of affairs prior to the annulled polls.

A former member of the board disclosed that the FIFA men told him on telephone over the weekend that their effort to get the true position of things with regard to the court orders was thwarted by the duo of Maigari, then acting president of the federation and the acting general secretary, Musa Amadu.
Dr Peter Singabele and former NFA vice president, Obinna Ogba, had reportedly admitted that the federation was served the orders of the Lagos court.

“The monitors we gathered are particularly pained that the action of the individuals has put FIFA and CAF in bad light and creating the wrong impression that FIFA and CAF meddle in the internal affairs of member nations.”

It was also learnt that FIFA has since written to NFA to get the true picture of things following the annulment of the election, but were yet to get any meaningful explanation from the football association.
“FIFA relies only on explanation given to it by the leadership of the association and in the present instance, the NFA president and the general secretary or its executive member as the case may be. So, what we have seen here is a case where the association has told both FIFA and CAF lies and this could attract sanction. So, if Nigeria is banned because of this, it is good now we know who to blame.
“This is exactly what one of the election monitors told me; that they asked Amadu and Maigari and both of them denied that there was court injunction,” stated our source.
Asked to react to the allegation, Alhaji Maigari said the case was in court and he would not want to be dragged into it.

A reliable source hinted that FIFA has in fact written the association to get the true picture of the development in the light of the decision.
Amadu we gathered, specifically told the FIFA and CAF monitors that there was no court injunction stopping the election.

According to the FIFA chief, the two, Singabele and Obinna Ogba, both former board members of the board had continued to stress that the Maigari-led board was aware of the order and was severally summoned by the National Sports Commission (NSC) in that regard.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/sportsonthehour/2010/sept/13/sportsbreak-13-09-2010-001.htm

hope caf and fifa will stop rely on information which NFF feeding them now.

http://www.supersport.com/football/nigeria/news/100910/Fifa_seeks_clarity_on_NFF_court_actions


[size=16pt]Fifa seeks clarity on NFF court actions[/size]

Nigeria fotball appears headed for another collision with Fifa, after the botched plan to ban Nigeria following government’s now reversed decision to withdraw the country from international football for two years.

There is palpable confusion in Nigeria and indeed the followers of the game as another chapter in this never ending saga pits the federation between adhering to the ruling of the Federal High Court in Lagos and observance of the very strict rules of Fifa regarding third party interference in the running of its affiliate football federations. There may be no escape this time if ongoing inquest by Fifa is anything to go by.

In response to our enquiries, The Fifa media department told SuperSport.com that; “To the best of our knowledge, no Fifa representative has received any copy of any injunction. In addition, Fifa has sent a letter to the NFF requesting the NFF to clarify the media reports relating to alleged court actions aimed at nullifying the results of the recent NFF elections. In the letter, Fifa reminds the NFF that such actions would be considered as interference from a third party and that, should any court action materialise, the NFF would be required to sanction the NFF member at the origin of any such claim to a court.”

On Monday (September 6, 2010) the Federal High court in Lagos presided over by Justice Okon Abang nullified elections into Executive committee of the NFF and ordered 28 senior officials to appear before it on September 24 for contempt of court. He also directed the most senior administrative officer of the NFF to take over the administration of the Federation pending when elections are properly conducted.

The suit in question was filed by the registered trustees of the National association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF). They had alleged that the process ran contrary to the clear wordings of Fifa’s statute and other extant laws relating to football administration in the country.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23001:court-of-appeal-to-hear-nffs-suit-against-order-sacking-board-members&catid=42:law&Itemid=600


[size=16pt]Court of Appeal to hear NFF’s suit against order sacking board members[/size]



THE Nigeria Football Association (NFA) trading under the name of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has resolved to join issues with the Federal High Court, Lagos by filing an appeal at the Lagos division of court of appeal, challenging the decision of the lower court on Monday, September 6, annulling the election of its board members conducted on August 26, 2010.

In the appeal, NFF is asking the appellate court for an order to set aside that decision of the court below, made by Justice Okon Efreti Abang.

Apart from the appeal, NFF also brought an application to stay execution of the said order.
The application is urging the court below not to give effect to the instruction given to the Inspector General of Police or any of his men or officers or any other public officers to bar the board members from using their offices having been constituted after the said election of August 26, 2010.

Both applications were filed by the board counsel, Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN), who in his application, cited grounds of appeal, which include that the learned trial judge, before making the order annulling the said election failed to invite counsel or parties to address the court on whether the election held on August 26, 2010 should be annulled.
On the other hand, he also on the same ground said that the court also failed to call counsel or parties to address it on whether or not the aforesaid election conducted on August 26 should be nullified.

The ground raised the issue that the said order nullifying the said election was not based on any application by counsel for the parties in the entire proceedings of September 6, 2010.
According to Nwobike, the decision of the learned trial judge nullifying the election conducted by the appellants on August 26, is unjustified in law and in breach of the appellants’ right to fair hearing within the context of section 36(1) of the 1999 constitution.

Again, the trial judge erred in law by making unjustified consequential orders.
It is on the strength of these grounds of appeal that he brought the application for stay of execution of the said order.
There are three reasons in which the application for stay of execution is predicated. They include:
• the applicants have filed an appeal against the orders of Justice Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos on September 6, 2010 in suit N0: FHC/L/CS/962/2010 to the Court of Appeal, Lagos;
• the grounds of appeal raises substantial and arguable issues of law with high probability of success on appeal; and,
• in view of the foregoing, the depositions contained in the affidavit of Peter Ojih and the grounds of appeal, there exists special and exceptional circumstances why the execution of the orders of the court has to be stayed pending the final hearing and determination of the appeal lodged against it to the Court of Appeal, Lagos.
Specifically, the appeal was filed by NFF, the electoral committee and A.U. Mustapher, in which they are seeking to allow the election that was annulled by the lower court.

The Guardian recalled that a Federal High Court, Lagos had last week Monday nullified the August 26, 2010 elections into the board of the NFF.

Justice Abang also mandated the most senior administrative staff of the NFF to take charge of the affairs of the association pending the conduct of a proper election to the board.

In nullifying the elections, Justice Abang said it was conducted in deference to the order of the court made on August 20, 2010, in which the court ordered parties to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of a motion by the Registered Trustees of National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF).
The judge also ordered the Inspector General of Police to ensure none of those elected in the purported August 26, 2010 election enter the board offices.

He further ordered that contempt proceeding would commence against those who conducted the election on September 21, 2010