•Chukwu, Okocha, Adepoju lose out

By Fidelis Ebu
ABUJA – The Nigeria Football Association electoral committee yesterday defied court orders to conduct the elections into the executive committee that saw Aminu Maigari as the new president.

ALL HAIL THECHAMPIONS ... President, Supporters Club, Dr. Rauf Ladipo raises the hands of NFA President-elect, Aminu Maigari (r) and the First Vice-President elect,Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Chief Mike Umeh, after the election in Abuja, yesterday. NAN-Photo.

Amidst tight security at the International Conference Centre, Maigari overwhelmingly polled 31 votes to beat other contestants and emerged as the President.

Two aspirants — Dr Tijani Yusuf and Bukola Olopade — were announced to have withdrawn their candidature thus leaving Lumumba Da Adeh, Fan Ndubuoke, Shehu Dikko, Chief Oyuki Obaseki and Sani Toro in the race for the NFF hot seat.

At the end of the voting exercise, one vote was invalidated and 31 of the 44 votes cast went to Maigari that earned him the new position and Toro that distantly finished in the second position recorded just five votes while Obaseki polled four votes.Lumumba that finished second in the last dispensation did not poll any vote and Ndubuoke recorded
just one vote.

Former Green Eagles team manager, Chief Mike Umeh beat the four aspirants for the position of the first vice president as he polled 26 votes to emerge as the winner.

Tenebe Japhet was closest in the vice president race with 13 votes and Fanny Amun polled just three votes while Obinna Ogba, the first vice president of the interim board after Sani Lulu Abdullahi and two others were impeached got just two votes.

Other results as at the time of this report have Effiong Johnson from Akwa Ibom as the Chairman of Chairmen. He polled 42 of the 44 votes cast. Enyimba Chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu beat former Eagles skipper, Christian Chukwu 21-19 to be elected to into the board

Suleiman Kwande from the North Central and Yusuf Ahmed however picked the tickets with 28 voters and 23 votes respectively to earn a place on the executive committee of the NFF.

Shehu Adamu, a member of the former board retained his seat from the North West zone with 28 votes.
Sherif Rabiu Inuwa and Suleiman Muazu from same North West were on the re-run election as they tied with 17 votes at the time of this report.

It would be recalled that Justice Okon E. Abang sitting at Federal High Court in Lagos had on 20th August, 2010 ordered all parties in the suit to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit filed before him.

The suit was  filed by National Association of Nigeria Footballers, NANF against the NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, NPL, Davidson Owumi, the minister of sports, the director-general of sports, the electoral committee of Nigeria Football Association and A.U. Mustapha esq.

The applicants had sought for an interim injunction restraining the respondents from organising elections on 21st August, 2010 or on some other date, to the Congress/General Assembly or to its board in any manner whatsoever and howsoever under the guidelines for the 2010 NFF elections as same offend the provisions of the Nigeria Football Association statutes and Fifa statutes pending the determination of the substantive summons.