NFF Elections: Jos Appeal Court Overturns Giwa’s Victory

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau State, on Monday overturned the judgment of the Federal High Court, which re-listed the case filed by Mr. Chris Giwa against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its President, Mr. Amaju Pinnick.

The Federal High Court had in a ruling, granted the request of Giwa nullifying the result of the Warri General Assembly and the subsequent elective congress that brought in the current NFF board led by Pinnick into office.
However, then President Goodluck Jonathan, faced with an imminent threat of a FIFA ban intervened, leading to the Chris Giwa-led faction of the NFF withdrawing the case.

But Messrs. Adama Yahaya and Obinna Ogba, acting on behalf of the Giwa-led faction had again approached the court on March 10, 2016 asking it to re-list the matter which they had earlier withdrawn, claiming that most of the issues that led to the court case had not been addressed.

On April 8, Justice Musa Kurya, who heard the re-listed case, ordered the recognition of Chris Giwa as the president of the NFF.
He also barred anybody from interfering with the duties and functions of the NFF board under the leadership of Giwa.

The Pinnick-led board immediately appealed the judgment. And Justice Joseph Tur, in his judgment on Monday held that the discontinuation of the cases on October 30, 2014, which was affirmed by the court stands.
He added that the ruling of the court on April 8 returning Giwa to the Glass House was null and void.
Tur said that the case had been discontinued in the eyes of the law and that the plaintiffs were wrong in asking that the case be relisted.

He said that in ruling that Giwa be recognised as the president of NFF, the court should have taken into consideration the circumstances of the case giving that it was struck out and discontinued by the same court on October 30, 2014.

Tur while allowing the appeal of the NFF, set aside the ruling of the Federal High Court made on April 8, 2016 and reinstated the ruling made on the 30th of October 2014.