Motsepe Watch Your Back, Pinnick Out To Get You Too
After holding sway in Nigeria Football for the past seven years, the next big target for Amaju Melvin Pinnick is to be President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
As CAF 1st Vice President at a time, he has already been a whisker away from the top job before Ahmad Ahmad promptly booted him out to hang on to his post at least before he was eventually taken out by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and his gang.
Around that time, Pinnick had boasted to some Stakeholders that Ahmad Ahmad was terminally ill and that as a result the man from Madagascar will not even complete his four-year tenure for health reasons.
That is the main grouse Pinnick has against former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung, who he recently accused on national TV of conspiring against him to lead to his sack at CAF.
It would also be recalled that before the March 2021 CAF Elections, Pinnick was linked to the CAF Presidency before a dramatic U-turn to support the South African Billionaire Patrice Motsepe for the top post, while he settled for a FIFA Council seat for the time being.
Pinnick’s rise to the top has been a story of backstabbing, treachery, desperation and unadulterated betrayal of those who had made the terrible mistake of ever trusting him.
Nigeria Football Stakeholder Gara Gombe has opened up that he and Pinnick were among those sponsored by then Sports Minister Ismaila Sambawa to topple Ibrahim Galadima in 2006.
Pinnick, who has always positioned himself on the side of the establishment or Government, was in the fore front of those who opposed the NFF Congress holding in Kano.
He was also the first person who stood up to vote against Galadima at the Sheraton Hotel Abuja gathering.
It was also Pinnick, prompted by the Government of the day, who moved the motion for the impeachment of Sani Lulu as NFF President in 2010 at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja.
Again, he sided with Government.
Amos Adamu was The Emperor of Nigeria Football in his hey days and he was widely tipped to succeed his friend Issa Hayatou as CAF President.
Pinnick was allegedly “fingered” in the London scandal that brought down Adamu once and for all.
Pinnick again showed he can do anything for power leading up to the 2014 NFF Elections when he barred his “friend” and NFF Presidential favourite Shehu Dikko from stepping foot on his hometown of Warri for him to take over Nigeria Football.
Pinnick was on holidays in the United States of America when then Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo was busy playing out his own Nollywood movie.
Quintessential opportunist Pinnick saw the crack, slipped back into the country and to Aso Rock Presidential Villa for the Director General of the Shehu Dikko campaign to transform into a candidate and an adversary.
We all know what has now become of one-time promoters in the Warri elections, Aminu Maigari and Gbenga Elegbeleye.
Pinnick loves only Pinnick.
Disgraced Ghana FA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi will be the next close ally to be betrayed by Pinnick after they had both teamed up to oust Issa Hayatou as CAF President in 2017.
At a meeting in Lagos, Pinnick told his audience that it was only the Ghanaian lawyer who now stood between him and the CAF Presidency.
This chronicle of betrayal and cut-throat desperation by Pinnick ought to alert Motsepe to now also be looking over his shoulder because some of his so-called friends are better regarded as enemies, who will stop at nothing to achieve their own vaulting ambitions.
Like Pinnick, Motsepe was installed by Infantino in March, but the South African businessman at least stood up to the FIFA President as it concerned the cancellation or postponement of the 2021 AFCON.
Pinnick went with Infantino in this regard.
That would most certainly have won him some much-needed loyalty points with the FIFA boss and defacto CAF President…
