Sports
Minister Tammy Danagogo says he will ‘never obey’ any court order that
is not explicitly served on him, amid accusations of disobeying a court
order after appearing in public with Amaju Pinnick, whose election as
the Nigeria Football Federation President was annulled by the Federal
High Court in Jos.
The Sports Minister was with Pinnick in Lagos
when the Falcons arrived in Nigeria with the AWC trophy, and Pinnick
received the team as the NFF President – an event which has led to
accusations of Danagogo disobeying court orders.
But Danagogo, a Doctor of Law, has defended his actions, saying he will never obey a court order that wasn’t served on him.
“I
will never obey a court order based on what a newspaper or television
is telling me. You can come and tell me the court has said Amaju is
President or the court has said Giwa is President, I will not obey
that,” said Danagogo.
“You obey or disobey a court order based on order of court, duly endorsed by the court and served on you.”The
sports minister also says he has no right to stop Amaju Pinnick from
parading himself as the NFF President until he receives a formal order
from the court ordering him to do so.
“If I have not
received any such formally enrolled order of court and then I go to
either a football function and then I see Amaju (Pinnick) there, I will
have no right whatsoever in this world to tell him to leave, I cannot,” he added.
“It
is only when a court enrols a mandatory order and serves on me and says
that ‘don’t ever do this with this man’, that’s when I can say ‘let me
be careful’.
“But that has not happened.”The factions led by Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick held a closed door meeting with the Sports Minister in his office on Tuesday.
Both
factions were encouraged to sit down with each other and iron their
differences out. They will meet again with Danagogo on Wednesday
afternoon.
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