Court says LMC not liable to liquidate debts owed by defunct NFL

A Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie has ruled that the League Management Company is not the same as the defunct Nigeria Football League Limited.
According to the court, this means that the assets and liabilities of that body are not and cannot be inherited by the LMC.
A statement released in Lagos by the LMC said a lawyer, Emmanuel Oboh, as claimant, had in Suit Number M/145/2012 asked the court to order the LMC to pay him N232.9 million, being a judgement debt in his favour against the NFLL in 2012.
Oboh’s claim was based on his belief that the LMC had in its possession funds belonging to NFLL, against whom he had obtained the said judgement in 2012.
It noted that Oboh’s claims were that the LMC, by virtue of the licence to operate and manage the Nigeria Premier League, was a successor in title to the NFLL and had inherited its assets and liabilities.
But Justice Adefope-Okojie, in disagreeing said: “I observe that the MOU is between the League Management Company, Globacom Limited and Total Promotion Limited.
“The Judgement Debtor, the Nigeria Football League, I note is not a party or signatory to this agreement.
“In addition, by the terms of this Memorandum, it is to the League Management Company Limited, that a licence is given to administer football, together with all rights appertaining to the Nigeria Premier League.”
Oboh’s counsel, Oyetuga Olugbenga Joseph, had sworn to an affidavit that he discovered that the LMC had been granted a licence to administer football with all rights appertaining to the Nigeria Premier League, including the title sponsorship rights.
He had claimed in the deposition that because of the MOU existing between the LMC, Globacom Limited and Total Promotions Limited, the three bodies had met several times to resolve all disputes relating to the league, including all litigations on the title sponsorship rights.
But in a counter affidavit, counsel to the LMC argued that Oboh’s judgement debt of 2012 was obtained against the defunct NFLL and not the LMC.
“The licence did not transfer any agreement or liability of the judgement debtor to the LMC,” the LMC claimed.