TheCable

The Aminu Maigari-led general assembly and elective congress opted Thursday to reinstate Maigari as president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after a brief meeting in Abuja instead of conducting a fresh election.

This decision was taken in line with FIFA’s letter dated September 3, which called for Maigari and his board to be returned to office latest September 8, 2014.

The Maigari-led executive committee will now have to convene general assembly meetings “in order to proceed with the elections of the new NFF office-bearers,” as directed by FIFA.

“The NFF executive committee as it was composed on August 25, 2014, meaning under the presidency of Aminu Maigari, should then convene as soon as possible a first extraordinary general assembly to elect the members of the electoral committee and a second extraordinary general assembly in the shortest time possible allowed by law in order to proceed with the elections of new NFF office-bearers,” a part of the letter read.

Speaking after the meeting, Maigari confirmed that a general assembly would be called within the shortest possible time, but added that new elections would now be held in 2015. This will keep him in office for at least another four months.

“Of course the elections will hold in 2015 because it is tagged for 2015,” Maigari told sl10.ng.

“We will work as a team and as a family and decide on a new date, but I want to assure Nigerians that we will do this within the shortest possible time.”

Another round of controversy could brew with this disguised form of tenure elongation given that the Maigari-led NFF executive committee was dissolved on August 26.

But a member of the congress and chairman of the Kano state football association, Rabiu Inuwa, allayed such fears.

“There’s no problem with that (tenure elongation) because we have reinstated them according to the demands of FIFA,” he said.