NPL election crisis degenerates as thugs abort congress

The congress which was to hold at the Lemonde Hotel in Abuja could not start till late into the night on Friday but when the congress members eventually moved to get it underway, a sharp disagreement ensued among them paving way for the hoodlums to take over. Even before the meeting, tension had risen really […]

The congress which was to hold at the Lemonde Hotel in Abuja could not start till late into the night on Friday but when the congress members eventually moved to get it underway, a sharp disagreement ensued among them paving way for the hoodlums to take over.

Even before the meeting, tension had risen really high following the refusal by the acting Executive Secretary of NPL, Mr. Tunji Babalola to make public the decision of the electoral committee who met on Thursday and declared Victor Baribote and Abdulazeez Mohammed as sole candidates in the re-run election ordered by the NFF Arbitration Committee led by Professor Ibidapo Obe.

The arbitration committee had ordered that re-run elections be conducted excluding Davidson Owumi whom it said was earlier disqualified from contesting.

Consequently, when the NPL electoral committee met, it agreed to toe the line of the arbitration but it is said the board of the NPL which is said to be opposed to the emergence of Baribote as the next chairman must ratify the decision.

It was in view of the development that Babalola called for an emergency congress.

Obviously suspecting foul play, Baribote arrived the venue of Friday’s meeting with his army of supporters led by Barrsiter Ike Igbokwe.

Hell was let loose when former international, Garba Lawal who has been sympathetic to Baribote’s cause was asked to go out of the meeting room for deliberations to commence.

The moment he stepped out of the hall, the shouting match which lasted for close to thirty minutes began to the consternation of the policemen who were on ground to maintain peace.

The police appeared helpless as the thugs insisted that if Lawal was not allowed into the hall, the meeting would not hold.

When it became apparent that the thugs were serious in their resolve to disrupt the meeting, a board member, Mr. John Amene who stood in for Shehu Gusau came out and announced that the congress was shifted indefinitely.

As Amene walked away from the venue of the meeting, the police had a hectic time trying to restrain the hoodlums and other supporters of Baribote from lynching him.

Meanwhile, NFF has not hidden its intention to take over the process, if the NPL electoral committee fails to conduct the re-run election within the stipulated time.