'Lawyer' Rumson Baribote drags NPL, NFF to court

'Lawyer' Rumson Baribote

Erstwhile Nigeria Premier League (NPL) chairman, Rumson Victor Baribote,  has concluded plans to storm the law court in search of his getting back the seat which the Congress, the highest ruling body, unanimously sacked him from.

Called on his cell phone, Baribote wont confirm nor deny whether it is true he is heading to the court. An affidavit sworn to and deposed in Abuja Federal High Court is showing he is in court but needs to tidy up some ends before the matter will be attended to.

Baribote who is not a stranger to taking football matters to court got an order with which he and his co-conspirators in the illegal Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) manipulated the rules to sweep out Davidson Owumi. Owumi, however, is still in court challenging the entire process.

Baribote who had expected his old bed mates in the NFF to support him in this last ousting game was terribly disappointed that he was left in the cold. He appealed the sack by the 7^th annual congress of the NPL held on December 11 in Abuja which the former turned down by adopting the Congress decision.

The congress had accused his Board of misappropriation of fund, lack of transparency and accountability which the clubs owners claimed was responsible for the inability of the Nigeria's top flight to attract sponsorship for the past two seasons.

Baribote, who lied on oath to have attended a secondary school not listed in both WAEC and NECO, the two examining bodies in the country, disclosed to www.supersport.com that it would be disastrous for his status to allow injustice to prevail in the NPL.

“(The) NFF has been served a letter and we are meeting this Friday at the Federal High Court 7 in Abuja as I will not allow them to cheat me.

“Nigeria Premier League was last season rated as one of the best league in Africa, and yet they claimed that it was the worst season ever in the history of the Nigerian football.

He was quoted to have said, “I am a lawyer and things must be done the way it should be and I would never fold my hands and allow injustice in the Premier League. We will meet in court on Friday, and we shall see what will happen,” Baribote said in anger.

The irony is which University did he studied law, who are his classmates, when did he graduated and with what certificate (if any) did he studied the law programme that makes him a lawyer. (Did he mean he is a liar which has similar pronunciation with lawyer?)

Considering that the judgement of Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court which declared the NFF and the NPL illegal, which also ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to wind-up the two bodies were not vacated till date, but the outcome settled in a private meeting with the litigant, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, would a new spanner not enter the works? Let's wait and see.

However, sources in the Federal High Court Abuja Registry informed www.gongnews.net that there is another matter already in the mill again in respect of the NPL and NFF. We shall keep you informed.