By Innocent Anaba
The Nigerian Premier League, NPL, yesterday, challenged the jurisdiction of a Federal High Court, Lagos, to entertain the suit by communication giant, GLOBACOM, against it over the award of the league sponsorship to another telecommunication firm, MTN.
Trial judge in the matter is Justice Mohammed Liman.

At the resumed hearing of the matter, yesterday, NPL counsel informed the court of the application and prayed the court to allow him move the said application.

But GLOBACOM’s counsel objected to the application on the ground that the said preliminary objection was only served on them on Monday.

He asked the court for more time to file his response to the objection, a request which the trial judge acceded to and subsequently adjourned hearing of the application to January 18, 2011.

Globacom in the substantive suit, is claiming that the tenets of due process were ignored by the NFL in the award of the premier league sponsorship right to MTN. Globacom pointed out that it was surprised when the bid announcement was made to the effect that MTN had won the title sponsorship right, even when it (MTN) did not participate in the bid process.

Defendants in the suit are Nigerian Football Association, NFA,  and the National Sport Commission, NSC.

In an affidavit in support of the suit deposed to by the Sponsorship Manager of Globacom, Harrison Iwala, the company maintained that the suit was informed by the refusal of the NFL to strictly adhere to the principle of due process in the award of the sponsorship right, and that there were major discrepancies in the entire process.

The plaintiff, meanwhile,  want the court to restrain  NFL from awarding the title right of the Nigeria Premier League to MTN, which it claimed did not participate in the bid process.