NFF crisis: Giwa serves minister court order

Factional President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ambassador Chris Giwa, has rubbished the outcome of the Extra-Ordinary Congress of the football body held in Abuja on Wednesday.

Giwa, in a statement on Thursday, maintained that the extra-ordinary congress was an aberration of the court ruling which has restrained the Amaju Pinnick-led board from parading themselves as the executive members of the NFF.

The statement reads: “It is now a matter of common knowledge that the Federal High Court sitting in Jos vide a ruling made on 8th April 2016 restored all the previous Orders it made in Suit No. FHC/J/CS/77/2014.

“For the avoidance of doubt the restored orders include an order compelling the Honourable Minister of Sports and all the 36 state FAs including FCT to give recognition to the Board of the NFF which was elected on 26 August 2014 and restrains them from interfering with the Board’s execution of the functions of its officers;

“An order which nullified and set aside the purported Warri election of 30th September 2014 which produced Amaju Pinnick and his purported Board;

“It has come to the notice of the Board of the NFF that some persons led by Amaju Pinnick are still parading themselves as the Board of the NFF in flagrant contempt to the aforesaid orders of the court. They called and held a purported Emergency Congress of the NFF on the 13th April 2016. They even issued a communiqué.

“We hereby advise the general public to disregard the so-called outcome of that illegal and contemptuous Emergency Congress. The general public will recall that on the 12th April 2016 the Board of the NFF dissolved all the State FAs including that of the FCT.”

The Giwa-led board has also vowed to take legal steps to file criminal charges of impersonation against Pinnick and his others that convened and participated in the purported Emergency Congress in the name of the NFF.

The statement added: “We however understood the predicament of the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Solomon Dalung, who attended the purported Emergency Congress because he was not served with the court order of 8th April 2016. May we put it on record that now the Minister has been served.”

The factional board, however, warned the general public, including all Banks, to desist from doing business with the sacked and illegal body.

Giwa said if they so do, it is at their own risk as all banks where the NFF has accounts have been written to beware.