NFA election: Court adjourns contempt hearing

(Nigeria) A Federal High Court, sitting in Jos, Plateau State on Wednesday adjourned hearing to October 23,  in a case of contempt of court filed against immediate past  Chairman of Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Aminu Maigari.
 Maigari and three others were dragged to court for flouting the orders of the court.
Yahaya Adamu, a football stakeholder and three others on September 19 obtained an interim injunction retraining Maigari, the NFA, and State Football Associations from conducting fresh election to replace the executive led by Mr Chris Giwa.
The plaintiffs through their counsel at the hearing on Wednesday in Jos, sought for an order of court to jail Magari for flouting that order.
 The judge,  Justice Ambrose Allagoa, however, adjourned further hearing to allow the plaintiffs’ counsel to personally serve the defendants with the contempt of court order.
Allagoa in adjourning the matter said that the court could not grant the prayer of the plaintiffs’ counsel to commit the defendants to prison in their absence.
He said that the court had no proof that they were personally served with the court processes as was contained in the order.  
The plaintiffs’ counsel, Mr Habila Ardzard had argued that the act of the Magari-led faction in conducting a fresh election on September 30 which produced one Amaju Pinnick as alternate NFA chairman contravened the court order of August 29.
The plaintiffs’ counsel prayed the court to commit the defendants to prison for disobeying that court order.
He attributed their inability to appear in court for the hearing on Wednesday as a sign of belligerence, ``they elevated themselves above the order of this honourable court.
``I urge my Lord to commit the defendants to prison or in the alternative, issue a warrant of arrest, but we are more inclined to their committal to prison.’’
According to Ardzard, they were duly served through substituted means by pasting at the gate of the NFA headquarters in Abuja in the case of the first and second defendants.
``In the case of third defendant, he was personally served through the Secretary, Plateau Football Association (PFA), Yakubu Dalyop for the PFA and the other 36 Football Associations, including FCT ``he said.
However, counsel to Magari and the NFA,  Mr Damon Dashen, said that he only put up an appearance in court to protest that his clients had not been served with the contempt of  court order.
He said that there was no provision on the form 48 and 49 for substituted means of service and asked for an adjournment which the court granted.