Fifa executive committee member, Dr Amos Adamu and 28 others were discharged and acquitted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over alleged contempt of court in a case filed by the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (Nanf).Inside Court 12 of the court in Lagos, Adamu was present for the first time alongside 28 others before Justice Okon Abang, who had earlier warned that the Fifa man could face grave consequences if he failed to appear before court after the case was adjourned from September 23 to October 4.
The Judge, however, struck out the case for lack of merit to the joy of the 29 alleged contemnors, who walked out free from the court in Lagos.
The 29 alleged contemnors are Adamu, Aminu Maigari (former NFF president), Mike Umeh (elected first vice president in the annulled election), Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba, AbdulAkeem Mustapha (chairman of the NFF electoral body), Suleiman Kwande, Shehu Adamu, Barrister Musa Amadu, Deji Tinubu, Elder Tunde Oloyede and Oluyemi Oluwasanmi (Mrs.). Others are Maigari Joji, Abel Ehigie, Barrister Chris Green, Olaleye Adepoju, Ahmed Maude, Johnson Effiong, Abubakar Ali Abdulkadir, Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, Muazu Suleiman, Austel Elumelu, Ifeanyi Teddy Isiadinso, Chidi Offor Okenwa, Dele Ogungbemi, Ibrahim Zurumi, Kunle Adesiyun, Emmanuel Attah and Bukola Olopade.
It was apparent that Justice Abang had to strike out the case since counsel to the applicant, Nanf, Belo Aidenoje, did not present a strong case.
However, the contempt case is just a preamble to the Nanf versus NFF suit scheduled to come up on October 25 in which the former is demanding for reforms and recognition from the latter.
Another twist in the whole saga is that the NFF Electoral Committee chairman, Barrister Abdulhakeem Mustapha, has threatened to file a petition against Nanf counsel, Aidenoje, over the injunction to stop the August 26 election in Abuja. Mustapha is said to be bitter over the move and will be filing his petition to challenge the injunction in a matter of days.
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