It appears the last may not have been heard concerning the back and
forth approach the roadmap for the elections into the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) has taken in recent weeks. It is becoming a one-week,
one-trouble scenario in Nigerian football.
The latest twist in event has left many confused following the declaration of the Nigerian sports minister, Dr Tammy Danagogo, that elections into the NFF executive committee will go ahead on August 26 despite an earlier statement from the football federation stating otherwise.
The Aminu Maigari faction had sought Fifa's consent to reopen the process and drew up a new roadmap for the election which Fifa endorsed through a letter dated August 21 and addressed to the NFF.
"We take note of the decision of the NFF Executive Committee to ask the members of the upcoming congress on 26 August 2014 to consider a new roadmap for the elections, which should be held by no later than two weeks after the congress.
"We also understand from your correspondence that the members of the congress will also decide on the composition of the electoral committees whose legitimacy had been put in doubt by some members. The congress being the highest decision-making body of any football association, we approve of the above plan, and as previously stated, we are supportive of an electoral process that is free and open to everybody, thereby fulfilling the requirements of the NFF regulations," Fifa stated.
The sports minister held the same view as contained in Fifa's recent letter to the NFF until Friday when a statement from his office said otherwise.
"We, as a ministry and as a commission, we have considered their (NFF executive committee) briefing and looked at all the complaints we have had so far and we agreed with them in totality.
"Whereas, we will not conduct election for NFF, we do not and will not support any process that looks fraudulent, any process that looks bias, any process that loooks orchestrated to produce just one candidate. If that means delaying the process or reopening the space for people to come in, it is good and well as long as it is acceptable under the rule and statutes of the NFF," Danagogo had said recently.
Mike Umeh, who acted as NFF president at some point during the crisis and has refused to acknowledge the return of Maigari, also agreed during his time as the football chief that there were hitches in the election process.
"We have received phone calls, phone messages and emails, and there have been media reports of persons being denied forms for unclear reasons. The litany of complaints and widespread condemnation has been defeaning. The best legacy that this team can give to Nigeria football is a flawless electoral process leading to credible elections," Mike Umeh had said while occupying the seat as acting NFF president.
The recent volte-face to continue the NFF elections on Tuesday rather than begin a new process has led to a number of interested candidates, who could not get forms or get cleared are complaining about the process. Among those candidate are Taiwo Ogunjobi, Abba Yola and Shehu Dikko.
Former Kano Pillars supremo, Yola, took his protest to the doorstep of the minister by writing him on being denied the opportunity of purchasing a form to vie for a place into the NFF executive committee.
In his letter to Danagogo, Yola stated that he had asked the NFF electoral committee chairman, Amoni Biambo three questions via text messaging: 'Am I late in coming to buy the form? Has government anointed a candidate already? Am I not qualified to contest?'
Yola said he got no answers but was opportuned to meet Biambo face-to-face in Abuja and had a chat with him. But Yola would rather not reveal the discussion with Biambo. However, Yola said he is yet to get the election form several weeks after.
He also expressed shock that five or six persons who had earlier been either not been cleared or sold forms to, have now been given the nod to contest in Tuesday's election. But Yola did not state the names of the persons.
Supersport.com was also informed that the camp of former Nigeria Football Association secretary-general, Ogunjobi, has raised an alarm over plans to sideline their candidate despite withdrawing his case from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
A member of the NFF electoral committee, Patrick Pascal, has declared the country's football could be heading for further crisis that could throw up fresh court cases should elections go ahead this Tuesday.
"I believe in the mantra of free and fair elections, and Fifa's advice to Nigeria in a recent letter clearly endorsed the plan to allow the congress determine how the election should be ran. But unfortunately that is not be adhered to. From the look of things we will only be portraying ourselves in bad light, and at the same time giving room to aggrieved persons to take their complaints to the court of law which is not good for the game," Pascal said to supersport.com.
Pascal also alleged that "some people wants Fifa to ban us."
But electoral committee chairman, Biambo, had dismissed as "fictitious" letters from Fifa advising the NFF under Maigari to ride on with a new roadmap for elections into its executive committee.
"We should not allow a few ambitious individuals at the Glass House to continue to deceive us that they got this letter from here or there. It is very unlawful to be brandishing such fictitious letters, which they use to intimidate Nigerians in the name of Fifa," Amoni Biambo said.
It is beginning to look like the remains of the crisis in Nigeria's football has been exhumed and its ghost is now roaming the streets in search of a peaceful rest, as there is more confusion and protests than answers to the impasse concerning the time-table of the NFF polls.
The latest twist in event has left many confused following the declaration of the Nigerian sports minister, Dr Tammy Danagogo, that elections into the NFF executive committee will go ahead on August 26 despite an earlier statement from the football federation stating otherwise.
The Aminu Maigari faction had sought Fifa's consent to reopen the process and drew up a new roadmap for the election which Fifa endorsed through a letter dated August 21 and addressed to the NFF.
"We take note of the decision of the NFF Executive Committee to ask the members of the upcoming congress on 26 August 2014 to consider a new roadmap for the elections, which should be held by no later than two weeks after the congress.
"We also understand from your correspondence that the members of the congress will also decide on the composition of the electoral committees whose legitimacy had been put in doubt by some members. The congress being the highest decision-making body of any football association, we approve of the above plan, and as previously stated, we are supportive of an electoral process that is free and open to everybody, thereby fulfilling the requirements of the NFF regulations," Fifa stated.
The sports minister held the same view as contained in Fifa's recent letter to the NFF until Friday when a statement from his office said otherwise.
"We, as a ministry and as a commission, we have considered their (NFF executive committee) briefing and looked at all the complaints we have had so far and we agreed with them in totality.
"Whereas, we will not conduct election for NFF, we do not and will not support any process that looks fraudulent, any process that looks bias, any process that loooks orchestrated to produce just one candidate. If that means delaying the process or reopening the space for people to come in, it is good and well as long as it is acceptable under the rule and statutes of the NFF," Danagogo had said recently.
Mike Umeh, who acted as NFF president at some point during the crisis and has refused to acknowledge the return of Maigari, also agreed during his time as the football chief that there were hitches in the election process.
"We have received phone calls, phone messages and emails, and there have been media reports of persons being denied forms for unclear reasons. The litany of complaints and widespread condemnation has been defeaning. The best legacy that this team can give to Nigeria football is a flawless electoral process leading to credible elections," Mike Umeh had said while occupying the seat as acting NFF president.
The recent volte-face to continue the NFF elections on Tuesday rather than begin a new process has led to a number of interested candidates, who could not get forms or get cleared are complaining about the process. Among those candidate are Taiwo Ogunjobi, Abba Yola and Shehu Dikko.
Former Kano Pillars supremo, Yola, took his protest to the doorstep of the minister by writing him on being denied the opportunity of purchasing a form to vie for a place into the NFF executive committee.
In his letter to Danagogo, Yola stated that he had asked the NFF electoral committee chairman, Amoni Biambo three questions via text messaging: 'Am I late in coming to buy the form? Has government anointed a candidate already? Am I not qualified to contest?'
Yola said he got no answers but was opportuned to meet Biambo face-to-face in Abuja and had a chat with him. But Yola would rather not reveal the discussion with Biambo. However, Yola said he is yet to get the election form several weeks after.
He also expressed shock that five or six persons who had earlier been either not been cleared or sold forms to, have now been given the nod to contest in Tuesday's election. But Yola did not state the names of the persons.
Supersport.com was also informed that the camp of former Nigeria Football Association secretary-general, Ogunjobi, has raised an alarm over plans to sideline their candidate despite withdrawing his case from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
A member of the NFF electoral committee, Patrick Pascal, has declared the country's football could be heading for further crisis that could throw up fresh court cases should elections go ahead this Tuesday.
"I believe in the mantra of free and fair elections, and Fifa's advice to Nigeria in a recent letter clearly endorsed the plan to allow the congress determine how the election should be ran. But unfortunately that is not be adhered to. From the look of things we will only be portraying ourselves in bad light, and at the same time giving room to aggrieved persons to take their complaints to the court of law which is not good for the game," Pascal said to supersport.com.
Pascal also alleged that "some people wants Fifa to ban us."
But electoral committee chairman, Biambo, had dismissed as "fictitious" letters from Fifa advising the NFF under Maigari to ride on with a new roadmap for elections into its executive committee.
"We should not allow a few ambitious individuals at the Glass House to continue to deceive us that they got this letter from here or there. It is very unlawful to be brandishing such fictitious letters, which they use to intimidate Nigerians in the name of Fifa," Amoni Biambo said.
It is beginning to look like the remains of the crisis in Nigeria's football has been exhumed and its ghost is now roaming the streets in search of a peaceful rest, as there is more confusion and protests than answers to the impasse concerning the time-table of the NFF polls.
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