Former Nigerian champions, Heartland of Owerri, has been thrown into crisis following the announcement yesterday of the dissolution of the club’s board, led by Ibe Okechukwu, by the  Chairman of the Taskforce on Sports Facility in Imo State, Ugonna Ozuruigbo.

Ozuruigbo is also the deputy speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly.

Chinedu Efugh, Captain of Heartland FC of Owerri and team mates celebrating their victory in the 2012 FA Cup at Teslim Balogun Statium, Lagos. Heartland beat Lobi Stars of Markudi 2-1 to emerge winners. Photo by Sylva Eleanya. 26/8/2012.

In a statement released by Solomon Onu, who has been announced as the new Media Officer of club, Ozuruigbo said the dissolution was over a perceived lack of transparency in the running of the club.

The statement directed all former board members to handover the club’s property in their possession to the head of administration.

But some stakeholders yesterday dismissed the ‘purported’ dissolution of the board, saying it was against the interest of the club.

They added that the development might lead to stiff sanctions from the League Management Company (LMC) for violation of Club Licensing Regulations.

The stakeholders, who pleaded anonymity, accused Ozuruigbo of sidelining other members of the task force ‘in a surreptitious move to hijack Heartland FC in a manner that runs counter to the Club Licensing Requirement of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which made it mandatory that all officers of the club must be screened to ascertain their suitability for the office based on criteria set out in the Administrative Criteria of the Licensing document being implemented by the LMC.

“Ozuruigbo has deliberately kept such other members of the Task Force like Steve Asinobi and Joe Ohaegbulam out of the activities of the committee because they may not support his agenda to hijack Heartland and handpick the management.”