A Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State will deliver ruling for the re-listing of the suit challenging the election of Amaju Pinnick as the President of the Nigerian Football Federation on April 8.
Adama Yahaya and Obinna Ogba had approached the court to re-list the matter, which the applicants withdrew after the intervention of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
It would be recalled the court had ruled on October 23, 2014 nullifying the Warri, Delta State General Assembly and the subsequent elective congress that brought in the current NFF board led by Pinnick.
Faced with a possible FIFA ban, former President Jonathan intervened, which led to the matter being withdrawn by the Chris Giwa-led faction of the NFF.
Justice Musa Kurya, the Judge, after listening to the arguments of the applicants’ and respondents’ counsel on Thursday, adjourned till April 8 for ruling on the application.
Counsel to the applicant, Habila Arzard, said his clients decided to relist the matter before the court to seek judicial resolution of the dispute since most of the issues surrounding the leadership of the NFF remained unresolved.
Arzard explained to the court that the delay in filing for the relisting was because they were waiting for the office of the President to conclude its intervention.
The applicants’ counsel said that they had paid the fine of N10,000 for the delay and prayed the court to relist the case for hearing of the substantive suit.
“My lord, contrary to the argument by my learned colleague that you do not have the power to relist the matter, the court has the powers and discretion to enlist the case,” he said.
The respondents’ lead counsel, Festus Keyamo, in his argument, asked the court to strike out the motion on notice for lack of due diligence in filing the motion.
Keyamo said the applicants did not show respect for the court by delaying for 13 months before applying for relisting.
“My lord, I urge the court to dismiss the applicant’s notice and I urge this court to do so with punitive cost so that such applicants will no longer take the judiciary for granted,” Keyamo said.
NAN.
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