- The Abuja Appeal Court removes the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF Board, invalidating orders obtained through alleged deceit in September 2022
- The ruling orders the deletion of related processes and warns against any member of the ousted NFF Board
The Abuja Division of the Appeal Court has ousted the Ibrahim Gusau-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Board. The court, presided over by Justice Barika, alongside Justices Okon Abang and Justice Banjoko, made this ruling in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1006/2022.
The court invalidated and struck down all purported orders obtained through alleged deceit on September 29, 2022, which led to the conduct of the NFF election on September 30th in Benin City, Edo State. The ruling emphasized the dubious nature of the obtained orders.
A statement from Harrison Jalla, Chairman of the Task Force, Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), revealed that the court not only struck out all processes related to the NFF appeal but also ordered the deletion of these processes from all court systems immediately.
Legal representation in the matter included Jibrin Okutepa SAN, representing NFF, represented by Peace Omiri and Barrister Arnold from his chambers. Dr. Celsus Ukpong, Chief Rumson Baribote, and Mary Waribo represented PFAN TASK FORCE.
The statement issued a caution, stating that any member of the sacked NFF Board parading itself after the ongoing AFCON in Ivory Coast could face criminal contempt proceedings. As of press time, no official statement on this development was provided by the NFF.