Defacto president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ambassador Chris Giwa insists the last has not been heard about the leadership tussle rocking the soccer governing body, but predicts that what he called ‘Nollywood Film’ at The Glasshouse will soon hit a climax in his favour.
Speaking against the backdrop of his ouster from the NFF secretariat on Monday by operatives of DSS, which sports minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung said was ‘a violent reaction to legal matters by the executive,’ Giwa said the truth about his claims to leadership will soon emerge.
Apparently buoyed by Dalung’s insistence of following the Supreme Court ruling to the letter, and denial of any role by President Muhammadu Buhari in Monday’s invasion of the NFF, Giwa stressed that truth will prevail between him and the incumbent, Melvin Amaju Pinnick.
Giwa further said no amount of intimidation would make him give up his mandate to be NFF president, after Pinnick won a parallel election in Warri, Delta State in 2014.
The NFF Congress had disregarded the order of a Jos High Court to stay action on the Warri election until the determination of the suit brought before it by Giwa.
Three weeks ago, a group led by Giwa stormed the NFF Secretariat and took control on the strength of a court ruling, but on Monday he was asked to vacate the seat by the government.
It was speculated that President Buhari gave the order because Nigeria wanted to avoid a FIFA hammer by respecting the world football body’s position, which recognised Pinnick as formal NFF president.
The Pinnick-led board later stated that the latest development has empowered them to ensure all plans and programmes of the various national teams will proceed accordingly.
They added that League Management Company (LMC) will now put arrangement in place for the resumption of this season’s contest in Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
However, Giwa insists he will not relinquish his mandate, which he says was given to him in an earlier election by the NFF congress in Abuja, and urged his supporters to be calm as the rule of law runs its course.
He declared: “By the grace of God, we employed patience to go through the judicial system of the land as guaranteed by Article 1.1 of the NFF Statute to reach where we are.
“Except if the law and the judiciary is no more significant can what happened on Monday be allowed. Evil will not thrive over good.
“I urge our friends, allies and supporters to remain calm. Truth shall return to the centre stage in a couple of hours.
“What you have seen is like the different scenes in a Nollywood film. All I know is that the rule of law will not lie low against the rule of might and influence peddling.”
