By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
Crisis rocking football administration in the country deepened yesterday, with the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, and the Nigeria Football League, NPL, asking the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal to set-aside the high court judgment that declared them as illegal bodies.

The appellants in an appeal they filed through their lead counsel, Chief Akin Olujumi, SAN, listed the former chairman of the Nigerian Referees Association (NRA), Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, as respondents in the case.

Specifically, the two bodies are contending that trial justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in a judgment he delivered last Friday, erred in law when he declared them illegal bodies sequel to a suit challenging the disqualification of Dr. Jaja from participating in the NPL elections.

They argued that “the learned trial judge erred in law when he, without jurisdiction, proceeded to hear, determine and grant the reliefs sought for by Dr. Sam Sam Jaja”, stressing that by virtue of section 251 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the questions and reliefs endorsed in the originating summons dated 8th March, 2010 were outside the jurisdiction of the federal high Court.

According to the appellants, “Jaja has no interest in all the principal reliefs granted by the learned trial judge. In view of the foregoing, the learned trial judge ought not to have heard and granted all or any of the reliefs sought by Jaja.

“The learned trail judge erred in law when he perpetually
restrained the NFA and NPL from taking steps or doing anything in the name of Nigeria Premier League or NFF in relation to league football or any aspect of football administration in Nigeria.”

They further maintained that, “Jaja’s case at the trial court is based on his disqualification by Anthony Rafua and Chief Felix Anyansi from contesting for an elective office in the NPL.

The right and or authority of the appellants to manage and or run the affairs of the NPL and or football in Nigeria was never in issue in the said suit. The learned trial judge erred in law when he held that Rufua and Anyansi cannot administer football in Nigeria in its ramifications.”

Besides, it is their contention that the provisions of the law setting up the NFF, vested it with the powers to administer football in Nigeria, noting that there is nothing in the Act establishing the NFA, which prevents it from using any name in administering football in Nigeria.

“The validity of that law was not questioned and the parties did not address the court on same”, they added.

Canvassing reasons why the appellate court should intervene on their behalf, the appellants insisted that, “Jaja is not one of the persons recognized under companies and allied matters Act 2004 to bring an action seeking to wind-up a limited liability company like the NPL.

The action was not commenced by the petition as envisaged under the applicable mandatory legislations in force in Nigeria. There were no proven material allegations against the NFA to justify the orders made by the judge.”

Meanwhile, the case has been slated for hearing February 2.