Nigeria Federation Is In Disarray - Leye Adepoju

The embattled former Chairman of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)’s Organizing and Disciplinary Committee (O&D) Leye Adepoju has broken his silence over bribery allegation level against him while featuring on a sports programme aired on a private radio station in Ibadan over the weekend where he described NFF as body in a state of disarray.

The Oyo FA boss while responding to questions denied having knowledge about the Addis Ababa meeting in Ethiopia where the board members met and took punitive actions against its former scribe, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi and Chief Victor Rumson Baribote and also resolved to set up a 4-man committee to investigate an allegation of N1.5m bribery he collected from Shooting Stars on behalf of members of his O&D committee.

Adepoju said he could have attended the meeting if he had notified that NFF executive members would be meeting there, but he was amazed reading from dailies that he was absent from the meeting with apology.

He however, insisted that the alleged money was a fee for a job he’s doing for the Ibadan darling team, 3SC and not a bribe as people are peddling around.

Adepoju linked the whole bickering to anxiety by leadership of NFF towards the NFF elections slated for early next year.

“I have made my intention known not to support the continuation of this present people at NFF.

“All these wrangling are to witch-hunt their perceived enemies prior to the NFF elections billed for early next year”, Adepoju noted.

He added that “I and Maigari are very close before, but since I have noticed that his leadership is deviating from the statue guiding the game, I am beginning to raise my voice against it which seemed not satisfying to them”.

Adepoju in his defense also noted that there is nothing like Organizing and Disciplinary Committee that people fondly referred to as O&D committee, but what he knows and was appointed to be the head was Disciplinary committee while Chief Mike Umeh is the chairman of Organising committee.

He however, expressed reservation of getting fair judgment from the panel constituted by NFF headed a fellow lawyer, Chris Green as chairman with members including Chief Emeka Inyama, Hon. Shehu Adamu, Alhaji Muazu Kawu and Brig-General Emma Okaro (rtd), with Alizor Chucks as secretary.

“I shall be there to present my case no matter how deafening the panel might be”.

Akanbi Agiri