Leonard Igbokwe, a petitioner in the September 30 Nigeria Football Federation board election, on Monday applauded FIFA’s decision to wash its hands off the matter concerning the election.
Igbokwe, therefore, urged the NFF to facilitate the process of inaugurating an arbitration panel to bring to an end the ongoing NFA leadership crisis.
He said: “In line with article 68 of the NFA statutes 2010 (the governing law of Nigerian football), I have written the NFA to set up an arbitration tribunal.
“The kind of tribunal they set up under Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe in 2010 to look into election matters arising from the NPL chairmanship election involving Chief Rumson Baribote and Davidson Owunmi.
“So, the arbitration tribunal is not a process that is new to Nigerian football.
“That process has been used to great effect and to maximum success in four football election matters.
“I have gone ahead to write the General Secretary of the NFA, Musa Amadu, to without unnecessary delay constitute the arbitration tribunal that will be made up of strictly lawyers.
“Because the difference between an arbitration tribunal and election appeals committee is that in election appeals committee, non-lawyers can be elected by the congress to seat over judicial matters and cause the kind of confusion we witnessed in their sitting.
“But in the arbitration tribunal, you have an all-lawyers affair.”
Igbokwe had on December 10 through a correspondence given FIFA a three-day ultimatum to reverse its decision upholding the NFA election or risk court action.
FIFA, in a letter addressed to Igbokwe, dated December 18, said it does not have jurisdiction to determine the outcome of the election.
Igbokwe said justice was beginning to emerge.
He said: “Last week, I wrote FIFA a letter regarding the petition I filed on October 10on the Warri elections.
“So, I am happy to inform Nigerians that I have a letter before me here from FIFA where they replied to the very serious issues I raised in my petition to them.
“The good thing about the FIFA letter is that once and for all it has stated clearly that FIFA does not have the jurisdiction on election matters in Nigeria.
“That a supposedly earlier letter written by FIFA on December 8 claiming to have upheld the election of Amaju Pinnick and his NFF board is not true.
“FIFA has stated clearly in their letter sent to me on December 18 that they lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter because it’s an internal affair.
“That it will be better handled by competent internal bodies of Nigeria football.”
According to Igbokwe, FIFA in its letter said it will abide by the decision of any competent body in the matter.
The FIFA letter obtained from Igbokwe was signed by FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, and copied to the NFA.