Abuja, Jan. 7, 2024 The duo of Luke Olaiya and Olatunji Meshack, coaches of Like-Minds FC, Gwagwalada have stated categorically the main reason they failed to appear before the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the FCT Football Association (FA).
The FCT FA Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, in a statement, said it had expelled Olaiya and suspended Olatunji indefinitely from all football activities within the FCT.
The Committee accused Olaiya of incitement, unwarranted vituperation, verbal assault, as well being arrested with arms (knife) in the hall of the FCT FA Bye-election.
While Olatunji was accused of incitement, unwarranted vituperation, verbal assault, and disparaging remarks against the FCT FA on widely read WhatsApp platforms across the country.
The Committee said it took the decision after the respondents failed to appear before it to make presentations on the allegations levelled against them, without any formal communication to the committee excusing their absence.
This it said was after letters of invitation were sent to them by the committee, in line with international best standard, and to protect the right of fair hearing of the respondents.
However, speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Olaiya said appearing before the Committee would be an indirect endorsement of illegality, that is devoid of any sense of nobility in line with NFF statute 2010 as amended, which the FCT FA ingloriously constituted.
“We ignored the notification by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee because the Committee is illegal.
“Large members of FCT FA board had earlier written a petition to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) where they challenged and discredited the Committee.
“Therefore, going to stand before the Committee is an indirect endorsement of their illegality. We are educated, and we know the implication of standing before the illegal committee,” Olaiya told the media in Abuja.
Speaking further, Olaiya delved into the NFF Statute 2010 as amended to buttress their reasoning on the matter.
“It is clearly stated in the NFF Statute 2010 as amended, that any Executive Committee that must be formed or inuagurated, the Chairman and Vice Chairman must be part of the Committee, and any Committee that must be formed by the Chairman, whether at FCT or local government level, must be ratified by the FCT FA board.
“But overnight, no ratification, and we were called less than 48 hours to appear before the Committee.
“Meanwhlle, some of the members of the illegal committee had been suspended by the FCT FA.
This is the main reason we tagged it a kangaroo committee, and we cannot appear before such illegality,” Olaiya said.
In the same vein, his fellow colleague in the coaching profession in Like-Minds FC, Meshack said the club was very optimistic that NFF, the ruling football body in the country will treat the matter with the justice and fairness that it deserved.
He maintained that Like- Minds FC as a law abiding football entity stands firmly on NFF statutes 2010 as amended, while also quoting articles 42.1 and 65 as the legal ground in which they stood on in the matter.
“In the football settings, we have sent out our petition to the NFF, and we strongly believe on the objectivity of the NFF as a noble football body. We remain resolute until the NFF come out with their verdict.
“The FCT FA Chairman, Abba Mouktar unilaterally constituted the Discplinary and Ethics Committee. It is so shocking that the Commitee was inaugurated without the approval and ratification of FCT FA board.
“All the Committees were wrongly constituted because in Article 42.1 of the NFF Statute 2010 as amended, it clearly stated that the Chairman and Deputy must be members of the Executive Committee.
“Also, Article 65 says, the Chairman and Deputy must have a legal background. So, bringing a person who is not in the legal profession to hold the Disciplinary Committee is an aberration of the NFF statutes and render such committees illegal, null and void.
The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee as inuaguarated by FCT FA Chairman Abba Mouktar is headed by Hashimu Adamu, a teacher by profession.
