Former board member of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and former Chairman of Gombe State Football Association (GSFA) Alhaji Gara Gombe has called the IMC illegal.
The Interim Management Committee of the league was set up by the Nigeria Football Federation on Friday to oversee the runnings of the country's league for a period of time.
“In the first place I tried to look at the constitution of Nigeria and also the statues of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) I have never seen anywhere that gives the Sports Minister the power to appoint an Interim Management Committee for the league. I also looked at the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) Act, I have not seen anywhere that gives the Sports Minister the power to constitute an Interim Management Committee (IMC) for the league.” He said on Thursday evening in a special broadcast on some notetable sports WhatsApp group, Facebook and other broadcast channels.
Gara Gombe who is one of the senior special adviser to the Gombe State Governor, stated that the IMC is heading for the rocks.
“Suburdination or intervention does not mean the creation of a separate body to run the leagues, the Minister does not have the power, so what is going to happen today is illegal.
“No matter what the offence committed by the League Management Committee (LMC), it is a registered body known by the law whether it draws it's authority and existence from the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), there also a process were agreement or partnership or understanding between two bodies can exit or any of the parties can exit that relationship.” The firebrand administrator added.
”I do not see anywhere that, that relationship between the League Management Company (LMC), the League and the NFF should be by executive intervention by appointing an Interim Management Committee (IMC).
“So, legally, am not a lawyer but from my own elementary understanding it's that illegal,if any thing else that should be done in view of the out cry, inview of the revelations, it's hypocritically unfortunate by the so called Club Owners, if anything has to be done, it should be done by the NFA board. The executive board of the NFA should be the ones to take over the management of the league, they have that power, they have that authority but not a separate body.”
Gombe also questioned the move by the NFA to Inaugurate the IMC created by the Sports Ministry.
“Since the Sports Minister has appointed the IMC, let him inaugurate them and the leadership of the NFF today under Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau is taking a very bad preceedent if that inaugurate them and give them the powers to run the leagues. What we are trying to run away from government interference even though the act subsistence through understanding, we are trying to completely transit get a way from government interference we are now going back to the government to continue to interfere and why should an IMC set up by the Sports Ministry be inaugurated by the NFA, tomorrow now, the same Minister, the same Government can say something and the NFA will get up and cry, I hope this president will not that it's a bad preceedent that will come back to hurt the NFF leadership, so we have to be careful and like I said, it's illegal and will never work, this IMC even If it's inaugurated is going to suffer serious credibility problem, legitimacy problem and authority problem has it is today.”
He went further to stress that,he is not close to the leadership of the dissolved LMC.
“Am not a fan of Shehu Dikko, and I have never supported what they have been doing in the LMC but this time around if they like, they can go to court to seek interpretation of the ministry and NFF actions unless if they have admitted to all the allegations levelled against them were true and also the 'Jankara' type of intervention by the Sports Minister is genuine, you can't just get up and dissolve a company like that, no, every company in it's article of memorandun of understanding and Association has away or provision on how it can wind-up and the same NFA that gives them the powers to exist and the powers to manage the League, am sure they have a convention between them, they have a covenant on how the relationship can be spared.
Gombe also said the LMC can seek redress on the matter.
“If Shehu Dikko committed offences that the Minister feels bad about, let him take them to EFCC or ICPC to investigate them or to the police but you can't just dump them by a wave of hand. These guys should know that these names are at stake, their names are really at stake.”
He concluded broadcast by making this submission.
“I didn't know how they want to fight it but if it me, it's fight to finish, I will not accept it, we agree the league is bad, things are not moving, besides, what is even moving in this country, is the NFA better off, or even the ministry is it better off, the offences, the crisis, the allegations and all that they levelled against Nigeria football and the LMC, you have the same resemblance of the same situation in the Ministry of Sports under the present leadership of the Minister of Sports.
“So, we have to get that correctly to get it right, I have said it and will repeat it, IMC for the league is illegal and is nowhere it nowhere under the law, number two the NFF executive committee, why were they elected? Why did they take these positions if they can't manage the League. The Executive Committee should constitute it's self on how to manage the League themselves within the the Executive Board of the NFF, you can have somebody to serve as Chairman and can have somebody to serve as CEO, they have the powers to do so, look we gave you the powers to run the league, you are not doing it well, somethings are not right so we want to do it ourselves, so what are you doing be bringing an IMC, allowing an interference, the same interference they will complain about tomorrow, so we should go on and put on our thinking caps, the inauguration today is a bad preceedent, it will not work, it's illegal and I don't know how the LMC board of directors wants to handle it.”
NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau inaugurated the committee on Friday at Abuja and charged them to find a lasting solution to the league.