30th December, 2010
Former Chairman of Bayelsa United, Rumson Baribote, has declared that the deposed chairman of the board of Nigeria Premier League, NPL, Davidson Owumi, won’t be allowed to contest the election again.
The Annual General Assembly of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, annulled the election of Owumi as chairman of the NPL yesterday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom and called for fresh elections, to be held within 14 days.
Owumi beat Baribote to the position in an election held earlier this year, but the former boss of Bayelsa United challenged the results of the polls, claiming that Owumi was ineligible to contest.
The NPL election Appeals Committee upheld the results of the polls, but an independent arbitrator appointed by the NFF ruled in favour of annulling the elections. That decision has now been upheld by the NFF Congress.
Baribote told P.M.Sports on telephone early today that “I’m pleased with the sack of Owumi as the chairman of the NPL. This is a victory for Nigerian football. I’ll not stop here, but will go on to ensure that Owumi does not return to the post because he is not qualified to vie for the NPL chairmanship post.
“I cried out when he picked the nomination form for the election which was held at Lamonde Hotel, Garki in Abuja that Owumi has no constituency to contest the election in the first place. I fought the war till the election was finally annulled. I think Owumi should come out to tell us where his nomination form was ratified to contest the election. He won’t have his way this time around,†he said.
Owumi, however, told P.M.Sports that he won’t lose sleep over the annulment of the election.
He said he heard the news and would be waiting for the NFF to confirm this officially .
“I won’t lose sleep because my election was nullified by the AGA of the NFF. I did my best during the short period I was at the NPL and posperity would judge me. Right now, I’ll only look to the future,†said the former Nigerian international, who had once been at the helms of affairs at Rangers International of Enugu.
