The dust raised by the Supreme Court judgement of April 27 must have thawed hence the unusual silence from both the Chris Giwa-led NFF and the Pinnic Amaju-led side.
The reason for this grave-side ambience is obvious and simple- the 32-page lead judgement by the Chief Justice of Nigeria,Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen was succinct and devoid of any form of ambiguity. The Chief Justice did not only endorse relisting of the case instituted by Yahaya Adama and Obinna Ogba for themselves and on behalf of all the members of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation elected on August 26, 2014 , but he also served the Judges of the Appeal Court some harsh words over what he called “miscarriage of justice”.
All the other Justices of the Supreme Court, Musa Dattijo Muhammad, Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekene-Ekun, Chima Ceutus Nweze and Ejembe Eko also took turns to lampoon the Appeal Court saying that the court based its decisions to over-rule the Federal High Court, Jos, on sentiments and abstract facts not before the Appeal Court.
While upholding the relisting of the case at the Federal High Court, the Justices also upheld all the interim injunctions earlier granted by the High Court.
On page 25 of his judgement, the Chief Justice of the Federation said: “I have to point out that by restoring the suit to the cause list, it means a restoration of all the orders in the proceedings in the suit irrespective of the fact that the matter may be heard denovo before another judge”.
Suffice to give just two of the orders being restored here.
Presiding Judge of the Federal High Court, Jos, A. L . Allagoa had on September 19, 2014, granted an interim injunction compelling the Aminu Maigari-led NFF to give recognition to the general assembly meeting of the NFF held on August 26, 2014 and the election into the executive committee of the NFF conducted at that meeting pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed in this case. The court also granted an interim injunction restraining Maigari and other defendants from interfering with the Plaintiff’s performance of their duties/execution of their offices as executive committee of the NFF pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. You don’t need to be a lawyer to interprete this.
If Giwa and his group have not moved to the Glass House today, it is not for lack of sufficient law to back them but maybe to follow due procedure.
