The tenure of Aminu Maigari as the president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) abruptly ended yesterday after he was impeached for financial impropriety by members of the executive committee.
Maigari stormed out of the meeting after the decision, while the Vice President of the federation, Mike Umeh, was appointed to lead the board as acting president.
An Emergency Congress of the NFF will be convened in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Thursday, 31st July, 2014 to ratify Maigari’s impeachment.
Maigari’s impeachment came a month to the NFF Congress which would herald the emergence of a new board.
Four members of the board- Chris Green, Emeka Inyama, Suleiman Kwande and Ahmed Yusuf-voted in support of Maigari’s continued leadership of the NFF but the remaining eight members voted for his ouster.
However, one of the members, Ahmed Kawu, purported to have voted against Maigari voiced a denial, insisting that his signature was forged to give numerical support to the anti-Maigari members.
Yesterday's development was the climax of the brewing crises at the 'Glass-House' since the end of Nigeria's World Cup campaign in Brazil. The crises led to the dissolution of the NFF Board, resulting in the threat by FIFA to ban Nigeria from international football if the board with Maigari at the apex was not reinstated.
THISDAY learnt that after carrying out the palace coup against Maigari, 11 members of the board left the Glass-House in a convoy of three cars to the National Stadium to brief the Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo, on the development.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Umeh said the board confronted Maigari with evidence of the allegations which warranted his eventual impeachment.
He said that having functioned as the vice president he would add value to the office of the president bestowed on him, in acting capacity.
Umeh also said that the board was still holding meetings on the status of the Electoral and Appeals Committees installed by Maigari to conduct the NFF election next month.
Maigari had ridden the eye of the storm since he was asked on July 2 to stop parading himself as the president of the NFF by Justice V. Lot of Jos High Court on a motion for an interlocutory injunction filed by owner of Nembe City FC, Mrs Ebiakpor Baribote.
Three days later, the NFF board was dissolved by an Extraordinary Congress of Nigerian football which met in Abuja.
He was also probed by Danagogo for his handling of money NFF received from FIFA as well as government subventions and sponsorship fees generated by the federation.
But FIFA annulled the process that led to his removal deemed to be a violation of FIFA Statutes that forbade government interference in international matters of a national association.
Nigeria had to revoke the court order to pave way for Maigari’s reinstatement by July 18 as FIFA was bent on clamping a worldwide ban on Nigeria from international football activities for the apparent infraction.
The latest episode also mirrored the division in the NFF as members had accused Maigari of plotting against the return of majority of them to the board for another term of four years at the Congress to hold on August 26.
The future of Stephen Keshi as the Super Eagles coach was one the issues on the agenda of the executive committee.
Umeh told reporters that the federation would like to offer Keshi a new deal that will see him continue as the national coach after the parties almost parted company after Nigeria’s elimination from the round of 16 at Brazil 2014.
He said a three-man committee comprising Chris Green, Deji Tinubu and Felix Anyansi- Agwu had been set up to discuss with him and has been given a week mandate to report to the federation.
''We want him (Keshi) back and we have set up a committee with a week mandate to tidy up the talk and report to the board,’’ Umeh said.
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