Minister of sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has summoned all state football association chairman across the country to an emergency meeting, at which they will discuss possible solutions to the leadership crisis rocking Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The FA chairmen and secretaries were summoned to Abuja in a letter signed by a director in the ministry, Simeon Oduyebo, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, few hours before further information stated that President Mohammadu Buhari had ordered a return to status quo at The Glasshouse.
In the letter, the stakeholders were informed that implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on the NFF elections had thrown up a number of challenges in the NFF’s operations.
Dalung, acting on advice from Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami directed that the Supreme Court order favouring Ambassador Chris Giwa should be upheld.
However, subsequent reports indicate that virtually all the state football associations, including Plateau State, where Giwa is based, insist on recognising the board headed by Melvin Amaju Pinnick.
It was further gathered that no less than 25 state FAs have thrown their weight solidly behind Pinnick and his board; such that their meeting with Dalung in Abuja was bound to have telling effects
The letter summoning them to the meeting reads in part: “In consideration of the far reaching implications of the above development and the genuine concern for long term development of the sport of football in Nigeria, I am directed to invite you, as a core stakeholder in the Nigeria football, to a dialogue meeting with the Honourable Minister.”
