The issue of conducting an election for the Nigeria Football Federation has been ongoing with the matter taking different directions, while football stakeholders keep waiting to know the next direction for the apex ruling football body in the country.
With two months remaining to September 30th, the date on which the tenure of Amaju Pinnick will end, no sign of any electoral process has been put in place to ensure that an election would be conducted, and this has led to different reactions from stakeholders.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, had
ordered the Executive Committee of the NFF led by Pinnick to ensure that the 2022 NFF elections are held as scheduled, but nothing has been done yet.
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, who has been quoted in several publications that he was not going for a third term or tenure elongation, has not been able to justify his words with actions.
Rather, he has hinged his not putting an electoral process in place to a lingering court case filed by Seigha Obiene under the case number FHC/YNG/CS/133/2021 as reasons. Insisting that unless the suit is vacated, an election will not hold. But since when has Pinnick started obeying court orders?
On April 8, 2016, a Federal High Court in Plateau State ordered the removal of Amaju Pinnick and announced Chris Giwa, the petitioner, as the legitimate winner of the 2014 election. Did Amaju Pinnick comply with the court order? Of course not, Pinnick rather took the matter to FIFA and on April 11, 2016, FIFA responded stating that the court was interfering with matters of the Nigeria Football Federation.
Nigeria's ban from international football was looming but the timely intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan ensured that Chris Giwa withdrew the case from court, hence Amaju Pinnick continued as President of NFF.
In another case on May 2, 2019, a Nigerian court ordered the NFF to provide the charge sheet for Amaju Pinnick following an alleged FIFA grant scandal. On May 7, 2019, a Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property filed a 17-count charge against Pinnick and some other NFF officials. Pinnick and three others were charged for allegedly misappropriating $8.4 million paid by FIFA to NFF as an appearance fee at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. He was also charged for not declaring assets according to the Code of Conduct Bureau Act. Did Pinnick Obey? Of course not, he rather put up a defense stating that FIFA has the exclusive rights and competence to investigate and judge the conduct of persons bound by their code of ethics as regards to funds.
Interestingly, the role which the Federal Government played by directing NFF to comply with the September 30th date for the election was misconstrued by some other elements in football as
“Government Interference”, but that has been adequately cleared as FIFA itself has stated that it was not interference but the government was just being responsible by reminding Pinnick and his team to comply with what the status which guides them stated. Perhaps, if FIFA had aligned with the school of thought describingt hings such as “Government Interference”, another issue would have come up.
Why then is the NFF President Amaju Pinnick holding firmly on obeying court orders now, when previous cases have shown that the former Delta FA Boss believes that any order coming from the court is interference? It is time for Pinnick and his team to be humble enough to do the needful and ensure that there is a smooth transition from this administration to another. Nigerians are patiently waiting.
