FIFA acknowledges Pinnick, Plans meeting with Sepp Blatter

FIFA, in an email signed by secretary general, Jerome Valcke, has come down on the side of the "majority" of the members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Electoral Appeals' Committee who rebelled against their chairman to uphold the disputed September 30 election of Amaju Pinnick (pictured).

The elections had been challenged by the losing candidates Iyke Igbokwe, Suleiman Muazu and Shehu Dikko and elements of their appeals were upheld by the Electoral Appeal's chairman Okey Ajunwa who ordered the election be rerun.

In his email, dated December 9, 2014, Valcke effectively upheld the decisions of the four members of the NFF Electoral Appeals' Committee who rebelled against their chairman, who dismissed the appeals largely on procedural grounds and who upheld the election of Amaju Pinnick as the president of federation, notwithstanding the NFF guidelines which stipulate their report is not valid unless signed by the chairman.

The text of FIFA's email, addressed to NFF General Secretary Musa Amadu and released by the NFF states; "We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 8 December 2014 including details of the ruling of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Electoral Appeals Committee.

"We note the majority decision of the Electoral Appeals Committee to uphold in their entirety the results of the NFF Elective Congress held in Warri on September 30 2014.

"We are therefore pleased to be able to start working with the new office-bearers headed by the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick. We will contact you in the coming days to organise an introductory meeting between Mr. Pinnick and the FIFA President in Zurich."

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/world-football/africa/16003-fifa-throws-weight-behind-pinnick-in-nigerian-election-saga