…Court did not sack Pinnick, says Keyamo

Human Right lawyer Festus Keyamo yesterday debunked media reports that a Federal High Court in Jos ordered the sacked of the Board of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) led by Mr. Amaju Pinnick and installed Mr. Chris Giwa as the new Chairman of the federation.
The lawyer while reacting to the report on behalf of Pinnick in a statement sent to our correspondent in Lagos, noted that at no time did the court order the installation of Chris Giwa as Chairman of the NFF as neither him nor Pinnick are parties to the present suit in Jos court.
“It is therefore a distortion of the Order of the Honourable Court to assume that Chris Giwa was ordered to resume as the Chairman of the NFF.”
“The Supreme Court of Nigeria has held times without number that no court of law can issue an Order against a person that is not a party in a suit before a court without joining or hearing from that party,” Keyamo said in the statement.
According to him, no court of law can also install a party in an office who is not before the Court praying for such an Order.
“The said Chris Giwa is not a party before the case at the Federal High Court and the Court NEVER made an Order installing him as NFF President. It is like the bizarre case of the proxies of a loser in an election suing only INEC without joining the other victorious party in the case,”
“How can a Court of Law or Tribunal remove the victorious Party from office without joining him or even making a positive Order to that effect? It is simply a legal impossibility,” Keyamo also said.
“What the so-called Chris Giwa is attempting to do is nothing but sheer brigandage and we shall be writing to all authorities concerned to arrest and prosecute him he dares to take the laws into his hands,” Keyamo further said in the statement.
Keyamo also advised the Minister of Sports, not to aid what he described as ‘sheer madness.’
“Whoever wants to remove Amaju Pinnick and members of the NFF board from office must approach the court to join them as parties and must seek clear and positive Orders against each and every one of them,” he said