Factional president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ambassador Chris Giwa, has vowed that nothing would stop him from taking over the NFF secretariat today to reclaim his ‘mandate.’
Giwa, who addressed the media with his board members in Abuja yesterday, also warned that the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, was toiling with contempt of court by impersonating as the federation’s boss to write to world football governing body, FIFA.
“Why I have not reported to the secretariat is that I have not been in town. I just came in from Jos where I went to get the signed main order of the court to serve all relevant authorities.
“I want to thank God that we have done all that and I can assure you that we will be at the secretariat on Wednesday because it is our right… as long as Nigerian law is today, we are the recognised NFF board. Interestingly, our board members were at the Glass House last week Friday.”
He noted that he would not join issues with the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, over the authentic boss of the Glass House, stressing that he won’t be confrontational.
On the report from the minister ordering the parties in the dispute to avoid anything that could breach public peace, Giwa said: “My immediate reply to what I read from my leader, the Honourable Minister of Sports, Barr Dalung, is that as a Christian and citizen of this country, I won’t want to say anything that will look as a direct reply to my boss.
“If I understand what I heard and read in the media, I don’t think my boss said something to insist on Amaju Pinnick. I believe in the word of God that says that no man attains to the position of leadership except the person is chosen by God.”
On the FIFA letter threatening to sanction Nigeria, he said: “On the FIFA letter, let me say that during the case we took to CAS, FIFA denied writing a letter recognising Pinnick Amaju as the President of NFF before the CAS. FIFA has said that anybody can go to court if it is provided in your statute.
The letter from FIFA is not for Amaju because he is not the president of NFF.
“Let me even make it clear that Amaju has even committed contempt of court by writing to FIFA. As at the time he wrote FIFA, he was not the NFF president as far as Nigerian law is concerned. I know that FIFA is not telling us to disobey our law but to respect it if it is in our statute. So, FIFA cannot intimidate us with such letter.”
Warning that the dissolution of the State FAs still stands, he brandished a letter from the office of the General Secretary of the federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, inviting the State FAs for a meeting in Abuja today, cautioning them that they were risking arrest and legal action.
