The proposed extraordinary congress of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) billed to hold on Thursday in Benin City has been declared illegal by the sports ministry.
Consequently, the ministry has directed that the congress be put on hold as it will be an affront against court orders.
This is contained in a letter dated July 30, 2018, and signed by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Olusade Adesola, in which the NFF top brass were warned to desist from any gathering to discuss a matter that is before the Federal High Court Jos.
This is despite an earlier letter from the Attorney General of the Federation, who had written to the sports minister pleading for caution in implementing the Supreme Court order concerning the NFF and need to respect FIFA’s position on the matter.
The letter to the minister directed that the status quo should be maintained until the case is decided by the appropriate court, but Adesola’s letter is alluding to the contrary.
The letter reads in part: “I am to refer to your office to the suit No FHC/J/177/2014 pending before the Federal High Court Jos and the subsisting enrolled order from the same court.
“Giving recognition to Ambassador Chris Giwa as the NFF President, and restraining Mr Amaju Pinnick and all persons who were purportedly elected as members of the executive committee of the NFF on 30 September 2014 from parading themselves as legitimate executives of NFF forthwith.
“Their said election having been set aside by the order of the court. The court order has not been set aside. You are therefore advised to suspend any action in the holding of the Congress.”
