The former chairman of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), Chief Rumson Victor Barigbote, has refused to appear before the investigative committee set up by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to investigate him over the petition he penned to the Federation of International Football Association (Fifa) against the Aminu Maigari-led football federation.
The NFF Executive Committee, last week, set up an investigative committee, headed by Chief Emeka Inyama (Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee), to investigate the veracity of Barigbote’s concerns as tendered in a letter to the world football governing body.
In reply to the invitation, the erstwhile NFF Chairman, through his counsel, PO Ogun and Co, described the committee as “a kangaroo one,” stating critically it lacks jurisdiction to summon him.
He said the committee should rather investigate Maigari first to ascertain the validity of the petition he wrote to Fifa, stressing that he would not honour the invitation to appear before the commission.
The letters sent to the committee in reply to the invitation, dated September 4, made available to the media, reads in parts:
“Our client received an e-mail on September 4, inviting him to appear before an Investigative committee headed by Mr Emeka Eyama set up by the president of the Nigeria Football Federation to thoroughly investigate him on the petition he wrote to FIFA.
“According to our client while it would have been a pleasure to appear before the said investigative committee to state his case, the said president of NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari that the petition was written against, was and has not been invited to defend the allegations in the petition written to FIFA. But, rather it is our client that is being invited to be investigated on the strength of his petition and as such, he cannot appear before the said investigative committee.
“From the invitation sent to our client it is obvious that the mischief done to him sometime last year has not ended as can be seen from the setting up of the committee by Maigari, the person the petition was written against. It amounted to him being the accuser and the judge at the same time.
“To show that the essence of setting up the investigation panel against our client is to infringe his rights further, Mr. Taiwo Ogunjobi was invited based on the petitioned against him from Kayode Olariwaju. But the reverse is the case with our client who petitioned FIFA.
“We have our client’s firm instructions to inform the committee that they have no jurisdiction to invite him for any reason as his matter is already before FIFA and as you are aware your humble self has forwarded a response to FIFA on the strength of the petition written by our client to FIFA. But, rather than wait for the outcome, the president of NFF has hastily constituted a kangaroo investigative committee to investigate him thoroughly on his written petition to FIFA.
“We have studied the whole scenario giving rise to this invitation and we therefore warn that should any step be taken by the so called investigative committee against our client capable of breaching his fundamental rights will see us heading to the ordinary court of law. We remind your humble self that there are pending cases in court over the same issues,” the letter which was copied FIFA and CAF stated.
The Committee had expected Barigbote to appear before it today (September 9).
