NPL Elections: Muazu admits forgery, Police must step in

Yusuf, brother admits fraud of his signature

When I broached my investigation that there was signature forgery in the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Electoral Committee, some senior colleagues called me to say "can you prove these things?"

Ordinarily, I know where the three of them stand on the conflicting issues in Nigerian football. Without mentioning their names, they belong to where the liquid cash will flow. Like I told them, "I operate within the ethical calling of journalism. If I am not sure, I won't go to town." I have been vindicated again like always again!

MUAZU ADMITS FORGERY:

With the statement to the media from the NPL yesterday (29th August). I am on the correct track. The statement went thus: "the contentious NPL chairmanship election still unsettled, a member of the electoral committee, Suleiman Muazu, has had his signature forged in the purported communiqué issued by three breakaway members who sacked their chairman, Tony Rafua, for allegedly breaching agreement reached at a meeting.

"Muazu, who is a permanent secretary in the Sokoto State Ministry of Agriculture was alleged to have used two different signatures on two documents on the same day but in his defense, he admitted signing one of the documents while the other was signed on his behalf.

"Muazu had signed his authentic signature on the payment schedule where he acknowledged receiving payment for the committee’s sitting on August 24, 2011 but another signature was used to authenticate his agreement to the communiqué issued by three breakaway members at a meeting at Lamonde Hotel, Abuja, where they purportedly endorsed the sole candidature of Chief Rumson Victor Baribote and Alhaji Abdulazeez Mohammed for the NPL chairmanship and chairman of chairmen respectively as well as the removal of Rafua as the chairman of the NPL Electoral Committee.

"Muazu, while defending himself of the allegation, said he was aware of the development. “It’s not forgery. Somebody signed on behalf after speaking with me on telephone. What happened was that as at the time the communiqué was prepared I was already in Sokoto and there was no way I could have signed. But I agree with the content on the communiqué because Rafua’s submission to the NPL was not what we agreed at the meeting.

“I participated in that meeting and I am aware of the communiqué. So, I have no objection that my signature was signed on my behalf”, he said.
Reacting to the development, the purportedly sacked chairman, Rafua, said it is a criminal matter that should be investigated by the law enforcement agents.
 “When you want to collect money you used your real signature but used another for a communiqué that is invalid. Electoral matters are not signed on behalf of anybody because it’s very sensitive. Moreover, I am the chairman and the one mandated to write a report. It was true we disagreed on some areas but it was my prerogative to make suggestions and that was what I did in my report to the NPL board”, Rafua said."

 
Double Speaking Muazu:

It is so ironic, sad and blatantly disgraceful for Muazu to be involved in schemes to unsettle what his younger brother, Yusuf, the sports minister, is working to settle.
Secondly, if Muazu's acts are read between the lines properly, it may mean that the two brothers: Muazu and Yusuf, are working for the illegal board led by Aminu Maigari and had used Dominic Oneya's committee as a smokescreen to buy time to perfect their unholy alliance against Nigerian football.

Thirdly, I gathered reliably that the people who "impeached" Rafua each collected N95,000 after which Muazu 'escaped' with his loot to Sokoto and consented to his signature to be on the coup document.

His signature was not signed for. That is where the criminal act of fraud against Muazu or and whoever signed the document comes in. For a permanent secretary not to understand these simple legal issues is sad. Where is Mr. Davidson Owumi? He alone has the primary loci to complain of injury and thus, seek for police investigation into this new fraud.

They "milked" the cash and turned round to hatch their devilish intent. Do they realise their criminal acts? I have a document where one of the troika when he was in the saddle of a club "paid" N200,000 to Arthur Kwame of the NPL as PR. Kwame did not get one kobo from any such club. Uhn! Band of criminals.