By Ibrahim Garba
Nigeria’s Court of Appeal on Friday sacked the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, President, Ibrahim Gusau and his entire Board members over the illegal conduct of the September 30, 2022 NFF elective Congress in Benin City, Edo State.
The Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Barika together with Justices Okon Abang and Justice Banjoko, Friday afternoon January 19, 2024 at 12:30pm sacked the NFF Board by setting aside and striking out all dubious orders obtained by deceit on the 29th of September 2022 to conduct the purported NFF illegal election of September 30th in Benin City.
The court struck out all processes concerning the NFF appeal and further ordered that the processes be deleted from all systems of the court forthwith..
Parties in the matter were represented by the following counsels-NFF:Chief Okutepa SAN represented by Peace Omiri and Barrister Arnold from his chambers. while PFAN TASK FORCE- was represented by Dr..Celsus Ukpong, Chief Rumson Baribote and Mary Waribo.
Harrison Jalla, the task force chairman for the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) said that in the light of the above any sacked NFF Board member parading himself or herself as NFF board member ‘after the ongoing AFCON in Ivory coast would be risking criminal contempt proceedings’.
The Benin election under the Pinnick Amaju-led board was stopped by an Abuja High Court as the PFAN had earlier dragged the NFF to court in a lawsuit to modify the NFF Statutes before the elective Congress.
Over 40 candidates contested for various positions on the dissolved NFF board
