Sanusi snubs Sports Ministry as more controversies trail Friday’s NFF election

NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi has turned down at least two invitations for a meeting from the Sports Ministry’s Permanent Secretary by insisting he was not employed by the Government according to insidetheglasshouse.com.

He also told some secretariat staff that he is ready to dare the Sports Ministry because “after all the Sports Minister will soon be out of office”.

Sports Ministry Permanent Secretary Ismaila Abubakar first invited Sanusi for a meeting on Tuesday, but he failed to honour it because by that time he was already at the airport in Abuja on his way to Benin City for the NFF Elections.

The top Sports Ministry official again invited Sanusi, a loyalist of former NFF President Amaju Pinnick, for a meeting on Wednesday and he did not show up.

The NFF plan to go ahead with Friday’s Elections in Benin City despite a court injunction and a directive by the Federal Government they should not do so.

Meanwhile, the elective congress of Nigeria Football Federation slated for Friday may not go as scheduled, reports www.totorinews.com exclusively.

This is the latest revelation coming from Yakubu Sarma, the chairman of Gombe State FA, who informed that the football body is not ready to commit crime against the Nigerian state through contempt of court. 

He also said that the official position from the Ministry of Youths and Sports has furthered cast doubt to the election going ahead on Friday.

“The reality is going by the stance of the Ministry, NFF is not ready to commit crime against the Nigerian state through contempt of court,” Yakubu Sarma said.

“The election this Friday is very doubtful. NFF is under the Federal government of Nigeria, we don’t want to commit a crime against the laws of the land all because we want election to hold.

“But the ministry and the general public should note only the congress can affirm that, more so that FIFA observers are already in town.

“The Sports Minister held a meeting with all the presidential aspirants on Tuesday. A lot were discussed that we were later informed. 

“The court order of September 15 made by Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court informed NFF and the Sports Minister on the consequences of going ahead with the election on Friday.

“We are making effort and by God’s grace all hands are on deck ,that non would be charged with contempt of court  and football would be the winner no matter how come Friday 30,” he said.

Elsewhere, to avoid going to jail, four of the presidential candidates in the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) elective congress, scheduled for tomorrow, in Benin City, Edo State, have pulled out of the race.

First to pull out of the NFF election was former board member, Amanze Uchegbulam, who stated in a letter addressed to the Electoral Committee, that he does not want to take the risk of going ahead with his plan due to the various court cases surrounding the polls.

 

The letter made available to The Guardian reads: “I hereby formally bring to your notice my intention not to participate in the NFF election scheduled for September 30, 2022, in view of a well-publicised court order by Hon. Justice I.E Ekwo of Abuja High Court on September 15, stopping the election pending the hearing of the substantive suit.”

 Three other contestants, including Peterside Idah, Musa Amadu and Murktar, allegedly dropped their ambition. 

 

Confirming his decision to put his ambition on hold, one of the candidates, Idah Peterside, said he took the step in deference to the court order.

“We have to obey the court order. I am a law-abiding citizen and so, I am heeding the court’s order,” Peterside said.