‘An Order Secured Yesterday But Announced Today’ As PFAN Heads To Supreme Court
The NFF Electoral Committee Chairman has given away a now well-known secret – that the Court of Appeal ruling staying an injunction from the lower court against the NFF Elections was actually given yesterday, Wednesday, September 28, but to fulfill all righteous it was only announced to both parties today.
In a press statement by Electoral Committee Chairman Aikhumegbe Anthony Malik (SAN) dated September 28, 2022, he spoke about securing the order on that day, which cleared the way for the NFF to conduct the Elections tomorrow in Benin City.
“This certainly showed that the Chairman saw tomorrow yesterday,” noted an official.
The date on the enrollment order of the Appeal Court was WEDNESDAY, September 29, 2022, to further collaborate that this order was done on Wednesday and not THURSDAY, September 29.
It was further revealed that on Wednesday there was jubilation at the Edo Heritage Hotel in Benin City, where most delegates put up and which will host the Elections, when former NFF President Amaju Pinnick announced that the NFF had got the order putting a stay on the injunction.
Of further interest is that one of the three Judges on this Appeal Court hearing was the one who has allegedly been shielding the NFF leadership from prosecution for corruption.
“There was very little ceremony at the court hearing today as after some deliberations one of the Judges simply brought out from his file an order and read it out,” said an observer who was at the court.
“I knew there was something fishy about the whole drama.
“It was a mere formality as everything had been determined yesterday.”
The other party, PFAN Task Force, said it has raised various questions on the order announced today and will challenge it at the country’s apex court, the Supreme Court.
PFAN said the order was unacceptable on many grounds.
(1) No proper parties before the Court
(2) No record of transmission from the Lower court to the Court of Appeal
(3) No leave of court was sought from the lower court
(4) The Defendants were not given opportunity to respond to processes filed by the Appellants
(5) The Defendants’ lawyers were called on phone by 6pm on Wednesday, 28th September to Appear in court by 9am, 29th September, 2022.
(6) What will the court rule on, the 5th of October when it has tactically stayed the court order of the Defendants for a purported Election to be held.
“The fight is to enthrone good order in Nigeria Football, so the struggle continues beyond an election,” PFAN added.
“The Augean Stable must be cleared for Nigeria Football to take its rightful place.”
