The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has been in the news in the last one year just for the wrong reasons. After a successful election held July last year to usher in a new administration, one of the contestant in the election, Victor Rumson Baribote, not satisfied with the election process took his case to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)’s Appeal Committee, challenging the eligibility of Davidson Owumi who was declared the winner of the election.
The Appeal committee throws out his case and upheld Owumi election, but Baribote took the matter up to NFF’s Arbitration Panel headed by Prof Akin Ibidapo-Obe which annulled the election of Davidson Owumi as NPL chairman and ordered for fresh election within 14 days. Since the annulment, peace has continued to elude the league body.
Owumi went to the Federal High court, Abuja to seek redress but the presiding judge, Justice G.O. Kolawole on August 2, 2011 upheld the decision of Ibidapo-Obe Panel in nullifing
Owumi’s election, asking him to vacate his office as NPL chairman and directed NFF to conduct new election within 30 to 45 days in accordance with NFF and NPL statutes.
As if that was not enough confusion within the league body, sponsorship deal the league board entered into with Total Promotions, which bided for the sponsorship of the league on behalf of MTN, became a matter of litigation after NPL Congress made up of club owners annulled the sponsorship deal. Total Promotions is in court asking it to reverse the congress decision on the premise that it had signed a four-year deal with NPL, which is binding. Because of this sponsorship crisis, the league board has been unable to fulfill its financial commitment to both referees and clubs thereby putting the clubs under pressure since they are starved of funds with little or nothing coming from the owners, the state governments. Referees allowances are grossly inadequate, leaving the referees at the mercy of home teams. Since he who pays the piper dictates the tune, club owners are pressurising the referees to ensure that the home teams win their matches at all cost.
As Nigerian soccer fans, footballers and stakeholder dream the sign of relief from all political motivated crisis in NPL after August 2 court judgment, the NPL electoral committee set up a re-run election to permanently end the leadership tussle in NPL and now the club owners are up again armed and has thrown the league into another leadership crisis.
Last weekend, an emergency congress was held to dissolve the NPL electoral committee led by Tony Rafua and set up a new committee after the committee had cleared eligible candidate for the re-run election.
Tony Rafua led electoral committee, acting on the power conferred on it in article 11c(ii) of NPL statutes to conduct NPL elections cleared two candidates, Chief Victor Rumson Baribote for NPL chairmanship election and Alhaji Abdulazeez Muhammed for election of chairman of club chairmen. The committee disqualified Akin Akinbobola from the NPL chairmanship contest on the ground that he withdrew from the first election which was annulled at the floor of the election and was therefore not eligible for the re-run election.
NPL electoral committee in its preliminary report, dated August 25, 2011 and signed by acting NPL executive secretary, Tunji Babalola, and made available to Leadership Weekend Sports, indicated that; “There were far-reaching deliberation before the decision was taken as it was argued that Mr Davidson Omatseye Owumi and Chief Rumson Baribote contested the election and following the disqualification of Owumi, Chief Victor Rumson Baribote remains the sole candidate for the election.
Similarly, the committee also noted that Mr Davidson Omatseye Owumi and Hon. Abdulazeez Muhammed Ibrahim contested for the position of chairman of chairmen. Therefore, Hon. Abudulazeez Muhammed Ibrahim stands as only candidate for the position of chairman of chairmen.
The attention of the committee was also drawn to Hon Akin Akinbobola’s nomination which was still valid before the election making reference to item 5 of Prof Akin Ibidapo-Obe’s clarification of the award, stated that ‘where there is only on valid nomination for the position of chairman, then the duty of the electoral committee is to declare the candidate duly elected’. The committee however argued that Hon. Akin Akinbobola did not take part in the election as he withdrew his candidature before the commencement of the election,” part of the report read.
Under article 68 of the NFF statutes, issues of electoral disagreements and other disputes are to be treated by NFF Arbitration Tribunal and not the congress. There is nowhere in NFF and NPL statutes where they are to empower, adjudicate and settles issues or dispute arising from NPL board election. Issues or disputes arising from election process are settled by Arbitration Tribunal which is well equipped and grounded in law to take evidence and decide fairly on the matters.
The decisions of an electoral committee are to be investigated and tempered with when necessary by the Arbitration Tribunal and not the duty of NPL congress to temper with either the membership of the committee or its decision.
The club owners (NPL Congress) action in disbanding the electoral committee after the committee have submitted their preliminary report on the election, is viewed as an attempt to subside some people and install a stooge that will continue to do their bid.? The problem of selfish people wanting to see things done their own way has kept the league without sponsor and the league may not end this year because of lack of funds to administer it. How long can the league depend on government for survival when it should be self sustaining?
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