FIFA re-instates Maigari

World football governing body, FIFA has reinstated impeached President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari with immediate effect. It also directed that the planned August 26 elections must hold on the said date.

In a statement titled Situation of the Nigeria Football Federation, which was signed by its Deputy Secretary-General Markus Kattner, FIFA said in the correspondence addressed to NFF Secretary-General Musa Amadu that Maigari’s impeachment by some members of the Executive Committee of the NFF did not follow due process and was not ratified by the Congress of the NFF,.

“We take note of your explanation with regards to the meeting of the NFF held on 24 July and it would appear that the said meeting didn’t comply with some statutory provisions (e.g. deadline for the convocation of the meeting and for the sending of the Agenda). In addition, in a correspondence addressed to FIFA, Mr. Maigari denied the course of events and complained that he had even not been given the possibility to answer the allegations against him.

“We have also been informed that members of the NFF Executive committee decided to sanction two other Executive Committee members for six months and one year. By so doing, it seems the said meeting of the Executive Committee went beyond the prerogative which is limited to suspend provisionally, persons or organs, until the following Congress, during which the sanctions are confirmed or lifted. Finally, we also learnt that some members of the electoral committee and electoral appeal committee duly elected by the Congress in November 2013, were removed from their position by the Executive Committee, which is contrary to the segregation of powers.

“The recent decisions of the Executive Committee are highly questionable with regard to the compliance with the statutes and should anyway be confirmed by the Congress. In the meantime, the different sanctions and suspensions are preventing persons to contest the elections.

“Under these circumstances, we deem that the NFF Congress will exercise its sovereign power through the electoral process, which shall be open to everybody and managed by the electoral committee elected by the Congress in their entirety. The Executive Committee of the NFF shall also be reunified as it was before the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Taking into account the internal divisions in the Executive Committee, it is advisable that major decisions are frozen until the elections of 26 August and that the focus will now be on the program of the candidates and the development of Nigerian football”..