Lagos — A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday nullified elections conducted on August 26, into the board of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). In his ruling, presiding judge, Justice Okon Abang, also ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ogbonna Onovo, to ensure that none of those elected in the purported election are allowed to enter the NFF secretariat. He directed that the most senior administrative officer in the NFF should take full charge of affairs pending the time a fresh election would be conducted.

Seeming furious that his order had been flouted, Justice Abang said: "In spite of a subsisting order of this honourable court stopping NFF from conducting election into the board pending the determination of a motion on notice before it, the order was flouted and elections conducted. The order of this court remains valid and must be obeyed by all citizens of this country. Any act that has challenged the majesty of the court has to be dealt with."

The judge also held that the court would be moved to hear the contempt proceedings as instituted by the Registered Trustees of National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) on September 21. NANF had filed the suit against the NFF and others, alleging that the process of the election was perfected without recourse to its members contrary to the clear wordings of FIFA statute and other extant laws relating to football administration in Nigeria.

Joined as co-defendants to the suit are NFF's president, Aminu Maigari; President of the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) Board, Davidson Owumi; the Minister of Sports, Isa Bio; Director General of Sports in the Ministry of Sports; Patrick Ekeji, and NFF's electoral committee chairman, A.U Mustapha.

Justice Abang had held that it would be improper to allow the elections to take place when there was a pending motion before the court seeking to restrain the conduct of the elections.

Specifically, the court ordered parties to maintain status quo (ante bellum) pending the determination of the NANF's motion.

NANF's President, Harrison Jalla, who deposed to the affidavit in support of the suit, maintained that he was the official representative of the players' union at the General Assembly(s) of NFF in 2004, 2005 and 2006, but that he was "strangely" excluded from subsequent assemblies under various guises to stultify

NANF's activities. Jalla revealed that the level of anti-footballing activities going on in NFF was alarming, adding that the constituents of the NFF, especially the Nigeria Premier League Board, are presently suffering from NFF's internal sabotage.

Indication that the court would descend heavily on the NFF emerged last week when another judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, vowed to sanction anyone found to have participated in flouting the court orders by going ahead to conduct elections into the board of the NFF if is proved that they were indeed served with the orders that parties should maintain status quo.

The judge, in handing down the warning, was apparently reacting to the submissions by a NANF's lawyer, Bello Aijeloje who had informed the court that contrary to its valid orders, the NFF and its electoral committee went ahead to conduct elections into the board.

He said: "My Lord, what they have done is against the sovereignty of this country and we intend to bring committal proceedings against those involved in flouting the orders of this court." But NFF's lawyer, Joseph Nwobike (SAN) said his clients were neither served with the substantive suit or any enroll order of the court.

Nwobike advised the plaintiff's lawyer to file formal application if he had any facts to back his claim, adding: "We shall deal with it accordingly.