• Maigari’s camp disagrees, fixes September 4 for election
•Danagogo sues for peace
Confusion reigned supreme yesterday in Abuja, as the nation’s
soccer governing body, NFF held its annual congress. The crisis ridden
football body ended up holding two different congresses, with one of
them interestingly taking place along the road in the Maitama area of
Abuja.While the Maitama congress attended by state FA chairmen loyal to
former president Aminu Maigari fixed the soccer federation election for
September 4 in Abuja, the second congress, which took place at Chida
Hotel elected Chris Giwa as new president with Obinna Ogba emerging as
his vice.
Hon Sports Minister, Dr Tammy Danagogo was at the Chida congress,
where he addressed delegates before the election that produced Giwa. The
minister had while addressing the congress urged the warring factions
to embrace peace in the interest of Nigerian football.
The soccer drama started early in the day, when Maigari, Barrister Chris Green, a member of the NFF board, whose tenure expired yesterday and secretary general, Barrister Musa Amadu were arrested by security agents.
Apparently not happy with the arrest, some of the delegates, who were already at Chida Hotel stormed out of the congress venue and ended up holding a parallel congress on the road in Maitama, where they fixed election for September 4 in Calabar.
The congressmen, who stayed back at Chida went ahead to elect a new NFF board, with Giwa and Ogba emerging as president and vice president respectively.
Daily Sunsports gathered that both parties had written to world soccer governing body, FIFA giving their own sides of the story.
It would be noted that the sports ministry had before yesterday’s congress made available to the media, a letter of resignation tendered by Maigari to the sports minister.
The NFF had before the congress agreed not to go ahead with the elections as yesterday’s assembly was only meant to draw up a road map for the polls, which is to be thrown open to all Nigerians interested in leading the soccer federation.
Chief Mike Umeh, who until yesterday acted as NFF’s interim president rejected Giwa’s emergence, insisting there was no election.
Umeh told Daily Sunsports that he left the venue of the congress in protest.
With the confusion that took place yesterday in Abuja, Nigerians would have to wait to see if FIFA will endorse or annul the election of Giwa and the other board members elected yesterday.
Elected board members
President
Giwa 27
Umeh 2
Vice President
Obinna Ogba 29
Chairman of chairmen
Effiong Johnson 28
North Central
Yahaya Adama 26
South South
Felix Obuah
North East
Sani Mohammed
Adamu Yahaya
South West
Deji Tinubu
Otumba Sunday
North West
Muazu Suleiman
Sheriff Unuma
South East
Felix Anyansi
The soccer drama started early in the day, when Maigari, Barrister Chris Green, a member of the NFF board, whose tenure expired yesterday and secretary general, Barrister Musa Amadu were arrested by security agents.
Apparently not happy with the arrest, some of the delegates, who were already at Chida Hotel stormed out of the congress venue and ended up holding a parallel congress on the road in Maitama, where they fixed election for September 4 in Calabar.
The congressmen, who stayed back at Chida went ahead to elect a new NFF board, with Giwa and Ogba emerging as president and vice president respectively.
Daily Sunsports gathered that both parties had written to world soccer governing body, FIFA giving their own sides of the story.
It would be noted that the sports ministry had before yesterday’s congress made available to the media, a letter of resignation tendered by Maigari to the sports minister.
The NFF had before the congress agreed not to go ahead with the elections as yesterday’s assembly was only meant to draw up a road map for the polls, which is to be thrown open to all Nigerians interested in leading the soccer federation.
Chief Mike Umeh, who until yesterday acted as NFF’s interim president rejected Giwa’s emergence, insisting there was no election.
Umeh told Daily Sunsports that he left the venue of the congress in protest.
With the confusion that took place yesterday in Abuja, Nigerians would have to wait to see if FIFA will endorse or annul the election of Giwa and the other board members elected yesterday.
Elected board members
President
Giwa 27
Umeh 2
Vice President
Obinna Ogba 29
Chairman of chairmen
Effiong Johnson 28
North Central
Yahaya Adama 26
South South
Felix Obuah
North East
Sani Mohammed
Adamu Yahaya
South West
Deji Tinubu
Otumba Sunday
North West
Muazu Suleiman
Sheriff Unuma
South East
Felix Anyansi
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Abuja soccer drama: NFF holds parallel congresses |
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