A majority of the general assembly of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has rejected the impeachment of Aminu Maigari as president of the federation.
A total of 26 state Football Association chairmen, who make up more than 50 per cent of the 44-member congress and comply with requirements of Article 24 of NFF statutes, at a pre-general assembly resolved in a seven-page document made available to reporters that Maigari remains president of the NFF and he should immediately return to office.
“That the undersigned having constituted more than 50%+1 of the members of the general assembly (as required by the NFF statutes for taking valid decisions at the congress) and in view of the mathematical impossibility of the remaining members to ratify the alleged dismissal pursuant to the NFF statutes, the President should immediately return to his desk and continue as President of the NFF until after the elective congress of Tuesday, 26th August, 2014,” a part of their resolution reads.
The FA chiefs said Maigari’s dismissal did not follow laid down procedures.
They also declared that allegations of financial misappropriation, misapplication and maladministration against Maigari are unproven as the audited accounts of the NFF for the past three years were never queried in the last three annual assemblies.
An extraordinary congress slated for Abuja on Thursday, which was to endorse Maigari’s impeachment, was on Wednesday shelved by the NFF executive committee due to what an official statement said were “unforeseen circumstances”.
However, it is believed that it was put off because those against Maigari “did not have the numbers” at the congress.
The Abuja hotel where a majority of the congress members stayed ahead of the extraordinary assembly was Thursday sealed off by security operatives as guests were barred from receiving any visitors.
A statement by Acting Chairman of the NFF, Chief Mike Umeh, however said the pro-Maigari group was not duly recognised.
“The NFF Executive Committee rose from its meeting of Wednesday, 30th July to say that the emergency congress had been postponed, and duly apologized to members of the Congress, while stating that the congress would hold at a later date.
“There was no congress at all, and we urge Nigerians to ignore the so-called decisions contained in the document. A properly constituted NFF congress would be convoked at a date to be made known to the public soon.
“Whoever is instigating these persons does not love Nigeria and should be advised to stop,” the statement said.
