South-South threaten to boycott NFF activities over interference in Delta
Miffed by the steps taken by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in Delta State Football Association (DFA), the chairmen of Football Associations in South-South zone have threatened to boycott the activities of NFF.
It will be recalled that the NFF set up a Normalisation Committee chaired by Henry Nkeki that has three months mandate to organise a fresh election in Delta.
But in a statement signed by the FA Chairmen of Rivers (Christopher Green), Cross Rivers (Atuake Oswald), Bayelsa (Poubeni Ogun), Delta (Edema Fuludu) and Edo (Henry O. Asemota), the body faulted the setting up of the Normalisation Committee, which has created an artificial crisis where there was none.
“It has come to our attention that the President of the NFF Amaju Pinnick, the Chairman of Chairmen Ibrahim Gusau and the South South zonal coordinator Emmanuel Ibah relying on Article 8 (2) of FIFA Statutes 2019 has set up a Normalisation Committee to manage the affairs of the Delta State Football Association.
“It is our firm view that in the absence of any crisis in Delta State Football Association prior to the constitution of this Normalisation Committee, and in addition to the fact that the said Article 8 (2) has not been adopted by the Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation, their reliance on the said Article 8 (2) of the FIFA Statutes is misplaced.
The body added: “As far as we are concerned, what the aforesaid persons have done is create, an artificial crisis, which they then relied on to constitute the Normalisation Committee with the sole design of installing Tony Okowa the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission as the Chairman of the Delta State Football Association.”
They however described the steps taken as a dangerous precedent that could lead to undermining the supremacy of Congress.
Arming themselves with the statutes of NFF, the body said: “Relying on article 13 (1) (f) of the Statutes of the NFF, we request the NFF to immediately constitute an arbitration panel to resolve this dispute between the aforementioned persons and the Delta State Football Association.”
“Pending the resolution of this issue, we the undersigned Chairmen of the Football Associations in the South South Zone of Nigeria shall boycott all NFF events.
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They expressed disappointment with the actions by the zonal coordinator Emmanuel Ibah in the handling of this matter, adding that he has abdicated his duties and responsibilities as the representative of the zone.
They therefore passed a vote of no confidence on Ibah, “Henceforth he (Ibah) ceases to represent the South South geopolitical zone in the NFF executive committee,” they said.