Giwa Kicks Against FG’s Recognition of Pinnick-led NFF Board

Ololade Adeyanju & NAN/

The factional President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chris Giwa, has faulted the Federal Government’s decision to endorse the Amaju Pinnick-led board despite a subsisting court ruling to the contrary.

Giwa described the recognition of the Pinnick-led board of the NFF by the Nigerian government as illegal.

A statement issued yesterday by Giwa’s lawyer, Mr Habila Ardzard, recounted how the then leadership of the NFF flagrantly disobeyed court orders to elect Pinnick and his executive committee.

“It will be recalled that on August 26, 2014, the board of the NFF led by Ambassador Chris Giwa was duly elected and by an order made on September 19, 2014, in suit no. FHC/J/CS/77/2014, the Federal High Court sitting in Jos gave recognition to that board.

“Also recall that by an order made of October 23, 2014, the Federal High Court sitting in Jos nullified the purported election of the Amaju Pinnick led board,” Ardzard said.

He frowned at situation where a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Vice President Laolu Akande, tweeted that the Federal Government had recognised the Pinnick-led NFF board as authentic, regardless of court rulings.

According to Ardzard, the development appears to have set the Nigerian government against itself.

“The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in section 4, 5 and 6 recognises Government as consisting of three arms namely, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

“The Judiciary having given recognition to the Ambassador Chris Giwa led board, it cannot be correct for the SSA to the Vice President to allude that the Nigerian Government has given recognition to the Amaju Pinnick-led purported board, as this would portray the government as being at war with itself.

“The judiciary having made a pronouncement on the state of Affairs, under the principles of separation of powers, only the judiciary can set aside its pronouncement.

“It is our firm belief that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria believes in the rule of law which anchors our democracy,” he further noted.

Ardzard maintained that the Pinnick-led board does not exist, going by the pronouncement of the judiciary.

FIFA had threatened to ban Nigeria from participating in international football following leadership crisis between Giwa and Pinnick-led boards of the NFF which necessitated the intervention of the Judiciary.

Giwa had dragged the Pinnick-led board to court over forceful takeover of the NFF secretariat following Pinnick’s emergence as president in an election conducted on September 30, 2014.

The election prevented Giwa who emerged as NFF president at an earlier election on August 26, 2014, from assuming office.

The matter eventually got to the Supreme Court which in April, set aside a 2016 judgment of the Appeal Court on the leadership tussle and sent the matter back to the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, which had earlier mandated Giwa to take over as president.

Following the FIFA threat, the Federal Government yesterday recognised Pinnick and his men as the authentic leadership of the NFF, to avoid the country being expelled by the world football governing body.

FIFA in turn sent a correspondence confirming the receipt of a letter from the Federal Government as tweeted by Akande

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