Electoral Committee revalidates NFF poll, dumps chairman

Members of the Nigeria Football Federation Appeal Committee have revalidated theSeptember 30 Elective Congress held in Warri, Delta State.

The committee, against the backdrop of their chairman’s nullification of the elections, reaffirmed the presidential election of Amaju Pinnick, saying there were no valid protests against him.

The majority of the members passed a vote of no confidence on the committee’s Chairman, Barrister Okey Ajunwa.

They described Ajunwa as insincere.

The majority of the members at a media parley in Lagos, accused Barrister Ajunwa of high-handedness and also telling lies to Nigerians in his minority report.

They said at the news conference: “We must first note that all members of the Committee were appointed by the congress and given equal rights. The congress never nominated nor appointed Mr. Ajunwa as Chairman of the Committee; it was us the members of the Committee who for the sake of convenience in convoking meetings that appointed him as the Chairman of the Committee.

“We therefore reiterate what we pointed out to him at the last meeting of the Committee that by the letters of the Electoral Code  all members of the Committee have equal rights regarding any decision of the Committee and that arrogating superior powers to himself was not only condescending towards the other members of the committee, it is in clear breach of the Electoral Code and also the rules of fairness and equity as it would amount to the minority overruling the majority or the tail wagging the dog..

“Some parts of his minority report did not only exhibit levels of refusal to adhere to the NFF Electoral Code which he showed but also the obvious insincerity he displayed which has made us lose complete confidence in him,” the committee stated.

“We reiterate that in line with the Electoral Code Mr. Okey Ajunwa is only one of three members of the Committee and when you include the 2 substitute members who we agreed should attend all the sittings and meetings, he is only 1 (one) voice out of 5 (five). Ref: Article 12 (1), Appeals Procedure states that “The election appeal committee is constituted of three members and, two substitutes elected by the general assembly at the same time as the members of the Committee. One of the members shall have a legal training.”

On Barrister Iyke Igbokwe’s appeal, the committee said: “Mr Okey Ajunwa lied. The Committee never met let alone consider any appeal earlier than 29th October 2014 after the expiry of the Committee’s jurisdiction to sit. We are aware that Mr Okey Ajunwa was in far away Japan at the time we were supposed to “consider” the Appeals. This singular act portrayed the Appeal Committee as irresponsible as indeed, it was gross dereliction of duty by him. Perhaps it might be necessary to ask Mr Okey Ajunwa when he convened a meeting where Igbokwe’s Appeal was considered by the Committee as indicated in item 40(Page 10) of Mr Okey Ajunwa’s minority report on Igbokwe’s Appeal.”