Gusau Election Victory In Danger As Appeal Court Rules On Power To Allow NFF Polls Go Ahead

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja will on November 21 rule on whether it had the jurisdiction to stay an injunction by the Federal High Court that allowed the NFF Elections to go ahead in Benin City on September 30.

Lawyers of the players union PFAN have argued that the Appeal Court does not have this jurisdiction and have vowed to challenge this right up to the country’s apex court, the Supreme Court.

In a 77-page presentation, they described as “ambiguous” the ruling by the Appeal Court of September 29, 2022, to stay the injunction which allowed for the NFF to go ahead with the polls in Benin City.

In the event that the Appeal Court admitted it does not have jurisdiction, the matter will revert to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and that could lead to the NFF Elections to be declared as null and void.

An out-of-court settlement requested by the NFF has stalled after a first meeting by the parties on October 5, 2022.

Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu also met with PFAN officials in Benin on October 11, 2022, in this regard, but the NFF have since not been forthcoming.

The players union is demanding for equity, fair and equal representation in the NFF Congress, Executive Committee and Sub-Committees.

“There is no alternative to reforms in Nigeria Football,” declared Chairman of PFAN Task Force, Harrison Jalla.

“The monopoly of the State Football Association Chairmen that has grossly retarded the growth of Nigeria Football is being confronted frontally by the PFAN Task Force and must be broken.”