Thirteen members of the Lagos State Football Association Board may be facing a jail term for disobeying a court order retraining them from convening and holding the Extraordinary General Assembly of March 23, 2024, where 12 out of 14 Congress members met and voted out the chairman, Fouad Ogboni Oki.
Oki had, through his legal representatives, Yakubu Eleto Chambers, had on March 21, 2024, filed an ex parte motion at the Lagos State High Court, seeking an order to restrain the defendants, R.A. Taiwo, Adeiloya F.O., Alhaji Lukman Dominate, ATRW Dele, Dr. Osondu Martins, Hon. Olabode Babington, Ajiroba Oluwaseun, Oyekan Oluwatoba, Emmanuel Osairon, O. Dosu Joseph, Benjamin Amiawe, Danny Nazzal, and Osahon Emokpae, from convening the meeting and from taking further actions whatsoever in connection with the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice in Suit No. LD/10997GCMW/2024.
The prayers were granted by Justice (Dr.) R.O. Olukolu as pleaded by the complainant, adjourning the matter to April 8, 2024, for hearing of the motion on notice.
The following day, March 22, 2024, Mr. Oki’s legal representative, Yakubu Eleto Chambers, served a copy of the court order on the Area Commander, The Nigeria Police Force. Area C Command, Barracks Bus Stop, Surulere, Lagos State, notifying them of the ruling precluding the defendants from holding the meeting slated for the 23rd of March 2024, as well as having anything to do with such a meeting pending the determination of the matter in court.
But in flagrant disregard for the court ruling, the defendants went ahead with the Congress, where they purportedly impeached Mr. Oki and handed the reins to Lameed Gaffar, his estranged vice.
There is no love lost between Mr. Oki and Gaffar, whose orchestrated attempt to unseat his boss in October ended in futility and has alienated himself from the Board and activities of the body since then.
Football has prospered under the watch of Oki since stepping into the saddle last year. Notable among his numerous achievements was Lagos State winning the football gold in the male and female categories at the last National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State. It was the first time a state would achieve both feats in the same edition of the Games.
Fouad, who excelled as a grassroots footballer in his day, was elected chairman in May 2023 after defeating former referees’ boss Alhaji Tade Azeez by 13-1 votes, while Gaffar got the vote ahead of Dotun Coker
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