President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has raised a preliminary objection against the jurisdiction of the NFF Electoral Appeal Committee to entertain the case challenging his election as NFF president.
Pinnick who appeared before the Barrister Okechukwu Ajunwa-led Appeal Committee yesterday to defend the September 30 election in Warri that produced his board, said the committee lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the matter on the ground that the 14 days allowed by the electoral guidelines for the election matters to be adjudicated have elapsed. Pinnick, through his counsel, Barrister Okey Obi, said the 14 days allowed by the electoral guidelines ended on October 14, 2014 since the elections were held September 30.
The NFF president was responding to the petition filed before the committee by Iyke Igbokwe, seeking the cancellation of the election, alleging that it ran contrary to the stipulated NFF and FIFA guidelines. The respondent counsel, Okey Obi, insisted that the plaintiff lack locus standi to call for the nullification of Amaju Pinnick’s election since he did not contest for the office of the NFF president.
But Igbokwe in a counter-motion insisted that as a candidate in September election in Warri, he has legal standing to challenge the election results.
The issues raised in Igbokwe’s petition are the venue of the election, which, he noted, was against the NFF guideline that says the election should not be held in the home state of any presidential candidate.
He also alleged in his petition that FIFA and CAF observers were not present to monitor the election as enshrined in the NFF electoral guidelines. He also alleged that the members of League Management Company (LMC), which is a registered company, were allowed to vote as against the provisions of the NFF electoral guideline.
