Club owners blast Baribote over comment on Minister

Sequel to the comment credited to the sacked Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League Board, Chief Rumson Victor Baribote, that the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, influenced his removal from the league board, the Club Owners have asked him to prove his allegation.
Spokesperson of the Club Owners, Mike Idoko, in a statement, said the allegation that Abdullai was the masterminded of Baribote’s removal smacks of ignorance.
Idoko said Baribote was only looking for who to blame for his inability to perpetuate himself in office.
According to Idoko, the NPL, under the leadership of Baribote, eroded all gains made over the years by his predecessors.
He said in the statement: “Baribote missed the point by saying the minister masterminded his removal.
“As managers of clubs we know what is good and best for us and we realised late that with the Baribote-led board, the Nigerian league is heading to the rocks.
“And for him to allege that the minister masterminded his removal is to say the least insulting to the honourable minister.
“The NPL, under Baribote, was never elected in the first place as no election took place when the court sacked (Davidson) Owumi.
“The Club Owners gave him the mandate believing he will bring relief to the comatose league.
“Title sponsorship became a problem and the clubs were made to bear the brunt of the lack of sponsorship.”
The Club Owners, according to Idoko, would never be stooge to anybody.
He said they would not hesitate to withdraw from the present Interim Management Committee if it starts showing trait of underdevelopment.
Idoko, who is a member of the IMC, said: “The Club Owners has never done the bidding of anybody and will never do.
“We were fed up with the management style of the last board.
“We did what was right in line with the statutes of the NPL and the power given to clubs by FIFA.
“If the present board starts following in the footsteps of Baribote, we will have no choice than to pull out.”
He declined comment on the purported court case instituted against him and others by Baribote.
He said he would talk after the case had been settled in court.