The crisis in Nigeria football is yet to simmer down as the chairmen of the state football associations have rejected the impeachment of Aminu Maigari as president of the nation's apex football body.
Impeached NFF President Alhaji Aminu Maigari
In spite the postponement of the emergency congress for Thursday in Abuja, delegates of the Nigeria Football Federation [NFF] Congress resolved "to reject the resolutions of any alleged board meeting of the executive committee not duly called and/or presided over by Alhaji Aminu Maigari as the incumbent president of the executive committee of the NFF until after the election of Tuesday 26th August, 2014."
The NFF under the current acting president, Mike Umeh, on Wednesday postponed the congress owing to "unforeseen circumstances" despite members of the congress arriving in time for the gathering billed for Thursday.
"As a result of unforeseen circumstances, the emergency Congress of NFF earlier proposed for Thursday, 31st July, 2014 but not convoked, will now be convened at a later date. Board apologized for any inconveniences caused members of the NFF Congress by the postponement," part of the statement from the NFF said.
But the delegates of the NFF congress made it clear in a pre-congress resolution that they are acting "in compliance with the requirements of Article 24 of the NFF Statutes - Quorum of the General Assembly and Article 25 of the NFF Statutes - Decisions of the General Assembly" that allows more than 50 per cent of the congress to rubberstamp or reject decisions by the NFF executive committee.
Supersport.com has been informed that 26 delegates of the 44 voting members of the NFF, which constitute more than 50 per cent required for taking valid decisions at the congress, signed a pre-congress resolution rejecting the removal of Maigari.
Serob Legacy Hotel in Abuja, where Thursday's congress was billed to hold before NFF postponed it, was taken over by security personnel thereby stopping any form of activities concerning the congress to take place.
Maigari is reported to have been quizzed by security operatives based on an alleged petition by the NFF on plans by the delegates to hold the congress in Abuja after it was postponed.
But 26 of the delegates, who are state FA chairmen, had already met and agreed in a pre-congress resolution.
"We the undersigned members of the General Assembly [the Congress] of the NFF being more than 50% of the congress [in compliance with the requirements of Article 24 of the NFF Statutes - Quorum of the General Assembly and Article 25 of the NFF Statutes - Decisions of the General Assembly] have in view of what we consider to be the continued flouting of the NFF Statutes and given the constraints of time that disallows us from giving the requisite notice to call an emergency congress before the elective congress slated for 26th August, 2014 met in preparation of the Emergency Congress slated for Thursday July 31st 2014 in Abuja and reviewed the situation that arose following the Jos legal action, Fifa notice of suspension, the subsequent withdrawal of the legal action and the resultant lifting of the Fifa suspension of our beloved country Nigeria," the state FA chairmen stated in their pre-resolution.
Minister Dr Tamuno Danagogo
The delegates explained that the impeachment of Maigari did not follow "the procedures and conditions precedent as provided in Article 35(3) of the NFF Statutes - Agenda for meetings and Article 37 of the NFF Statutes - Dismissal of a person or body."
The state FA chairmen also alleged that "a certain member of the NFF executive member has publicly alleged the falsification and wrongful use of his signature on the purported impeachment document."
They also dismissed "the allegation of financial misappropriation, misapplication and maladministration" levelled against Maigari by the NFF executive committee under the acting president, Mike Umeh.
"However, we also note that, pursuant to Article 28(j) of the NFF Statutes - approval of NFF financial statement by the General Assembly and Article 28(k) of the NFF Statutes - approval of the NFF budget by the General Assembly, the Aminu Maigari led NFF executive committee has at each Annual General Assembly [Kaduna 2011, Port Harcourt 2012 and Warri 2013] presented its consolidated annual audited accounts for the preceding year and proposed budget for the incoming year for approval by the congress.
"The most recent being the Annual General Assembly held in November, 2013 in Warri where the audited accounts for 2013 and the proposed budget for 2014 were unanimously approved with commendation. At no time during the NFF General Assembly throughout these proceeding years [2011, 2012 and 2013] did the NFF Finance Committee or the Internal Audit Committee or the External Auditors or the General Assembly raise any queries with regards to the financial activities of the federation led by Aminu Maigari," the statement said.
The delegates further stated that none of their members "have been served with the details of the motion of dismissal of Alhaji Aminu Maigari along with the justification as required by Article 37(2) of the NFF Statutes."
However the delegates rounded off in their pre-congress resolution that they will not recognise any other person than Maigari as president of the federation till the August 26 election into the NFF executive committee.
"In view of the foregoing, we therefore note and resolve to reject in its entirety the alleged dismissal of the president of the NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari and the appointment of an acting president of NFF in the person of Mr Mike Umeh, the current vice president of the NFF or any other person.
"We therefore resolve that the status quo as at July 1st, 2014 [the date prior to the Jos High Court injunction] be maintained and peace restored to the football house devoid of camps and factions and that anyone who wishes to change the leadership of the NFF should be patient and do so at the Elective General Congress fixed for Tuesday, 26th August, 2014 in line with NFF Statutes," the state FA chairmen said.
The delegates also included representatives of the Nigeria National League [NNL], Nigeria NationWide League [NNWL] and the Nigeria Referees Association [NRA].
On July 9, Fifa suspended Nigeria on account of government interference after a state High Court in Jos refrained Maigari, the NFF executive committee and congress from running football in the country leading to the appointment of a sole administrator by the sports minister, Dr Tamuno Danagogo.
Nine days later, Fifa lifted the suspension on Nigeria after the withdrawal of the court case against the NFF and reinstatement of the football federation's executive committee headed by Maigari.
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