I got this yesterday from Nembe City Football club. I thought i should share and ask...... Is there merit in this submission? The General Secretary, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) OlusegunObasanjostreet, Wuse zone 7, Abuja-NIgeria. Dear Sir, REQUEST FOR ADVISE TO SEEK REDRESS AGAINST THE CONDUCT OF THE WARRI ELECTION INTO THE NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2014 AS IT AFFECTS OUR INTERESTS. The Board, management, players and fans of Nembe City FC sends its warmest greeting to you. We have, as a major stakeholder in Nigerian football, reviewed the above named subject and I am advised to write your office to please advise us appropriately where we should seek redress on the following issues listed below. Our thinking is, if the outcome of the election is allowed to stand as it is, it may jeopardise our existence in the nearest future. ARTICLE 1.1 OF THE NFF STATUTE: The NFF admitted that she was and remains a private organisation that pledged to operate within the laws of the land. We are aware that the issues involved are internal football matters, since there are no arbitration processes in the Nigerian football system. We are aggrieved and need to seek redress. We want to be guided as to which agency we shall seek the appropriate redress. The grounds for which we intend to seek redress are: ALLOWING THE APPOINTED LEAGUE MANAGEMENT COMPANY (LMC) TO VOTE IN THE ELECTION Article 13 (b) of the NFF statutes 2010 mandates that all members of the NFF must compose their decision-making bodies through the process of Election. We are aware as a member of the Nigeria Premier Football League in the 2014/2015 season managed by the LMC. The LMC is not an elected body. It is not listed in the NFF Statute thus, unknown to the Statute. It is a Limited Liability Companynot known to the NFF Statute (See Article 10). The Chairman of the LMC does not attend NFF Executive Committee meetings. The LMC should therefore not have been allowed to vote in an Election of the NFF because the body was not constituted through the process of Election as provided in Article 13 (b) of the NFF Statutes. The act of the LMC voting in the Warri NFF Election is a gross breach of Article 13(b) of the NFF Statutes which clearly nullifies the entire Election in view of the provisions of Article 26 (4) of the NFF Statutes and Articles B(a) and 6(/a, b, c) of the NFE Electoral code which orders that NFF Election must be conducted strictly in line with the NFF Statutes and Electoral code. WRONGFUL COMPOSITION OF THE NFF ELECTORAL COMMITTEE The Electoral Committee of the 2014 NFF Executive Committee elections which meets the Statute provision is that headed by AmoniBiambo. The NFF Electoral Committee headed by Barrister Samson Ebomhe DID NOT meet the statute (See Article 4 (3) of the Electoral Code) which prescribes a six month time line. Some members of the committee (under Ebomhe) were not members of the NFF as stipulated in Article 3 (3) and Article 5 (1) of the Nigeria Football Federation’s Electoral code approved by the General Assembly convened in Abuja on 29th December, 2009. For purposes of clarity, the members of the NFF as stated in Article 10 (Admission) of the NFF statutes 2010 edition are: a. State Football Associations including the Federal Capital Territory. b. The Leagues c. The Players Association d. The Nigeria Football Coaches Association. e. The Nigeria Referees Association. The League Management Company (LMC) was not listed above and the Statute has not been so amended. The non-compliance with the above requirement clearly nullifies the election as a wrongly constituted Electoral Committee allowed an LMC, a stranger to the Statutes, to participate in the election. INCOMPETENCE OF ELECTORAL COMMITTEE DESTROYED THE WARRI PROCESS: The appointment of non-NFF members as members of the Electoral Committee was the reason why the Electoral Committee contravened the conduct of the Election with regards to the provisions of the NFF statutes, Electoral Code and the Guidelines for the Elections. Like in these cases. From the identified basic breaches of the relevant provisions of the NFF Statutes, Electoral Code and Election Guidelines in the Warri NFF Election by the Electoral Committee, it establishes that the Committee is not competent to conduct the election. Therefore, the outcome of the election is faulty and should be thrown to the dustbin, thereby, leaving us with the only option to follow a process that the Statutes know. NO OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF FIFA, CAF AND WAFU AT THE ELECTION. Article 12 of the Guidelines for the NFF Executive Committee Elections, 2014, unmistakablyprovided viz:“The NFF Executive Committee Election shall be observed by the following organizations- (a) FIFA Representative. (b) CAF Representative. (c)WAFU Representative.” This provision is mandatory and not optional. Anything short of thereligious adherence to these provisionscan make the entire electoral process fatalto the entire conduct and process of the 2014 NFF Executive Committee Elections. We are aware that the Election in Warri, there were no official Representatives of FIFA, CAF and WAFU. WRONG CHOICE OF WARRI, AS ELECTION VENUEVIS-A-VIS 2006 KANO ELECTION In Football Elections, the principle of Fair-play as espoused by World’s Football governing body, FIFA, is to be strictly applied. In 2006, in Kano, the NFF election was adjudged not to be in tandem with this principle. That was why the venue was changed to Abuja which produced AlhajiSaniAbdullahi Lulu. The election that took place in Kano, won by Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, was accordingly nullified because he was from Kano. FIFA sees this as unfair advantage to Galadima. The NFF Executive Committee Elections was held in Warri 2014, the State of Mr. AmajuPinnick. Pinnick was a candidate and eventual winner of the election. As Chief host, Pinnick is not qualified to have contested the election in view of Article B (b) of the Electoral Code on avoiding any conflict of interest that could discredit the impartiality of the elections. Here, there was no level playing ground. Two, he is the Chairman of the Delta State Football Association; This qualifies him for the election (if he has met the four year qualification) and also the Executive Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, (a government appointment which runs contrary to the principles and laws of the football management by the NFF Statutes). There is conflict of interests in his ambition, hosting, fairness of the process. For this reason, we are certain that this election should be thrown to the dust bin, nullified and cancelled. FELIX ANYANSI-AGWU AND SHERIFF INUWA: Article 7 (b) of the Election Guideline is clear that no state shall produce more than one Executive Committee member. In the Warri NFF Election, Mr Felix Anyansi-Agwu (Abia) and Sheriff RabiuInuwa (Kano) were wrongly elected as board members representing the South-East and North-West zones when their state colleagues, Chief EmekaInyama (Abia) and Ahmed Kawu (Kano) are already on the board. This is a clear contravention of the above Article of the Election Guideline. An Election that threatens the interests, future and development of the game of football certainly threatens our club as a major stakeholder. It is for these aforesaid factors that has made the clubs General Meeting to mandate me to seek clearance as to how to seek redress. The said election raped the NFF Statute, violated the Election Code and manhandled the Election Guidelines and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should not be protected, should not stand in public and cannot be accommodated for our children to know it ever happened without any form of protest. We will appreciate your formal response to our letter within seven days from the date of receipt of this letter. Thank you. Yours Faithfully, CHIEF RUMSON VICTOR BARIBOTE PRESIDENT
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 11:38:54 +0000
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