NPL ELECTIONS: I HAVE BEEN VINDICATED – BARIBOTE

Baribote
Chairman of Bayelsa United and a candidate in the crisis ridden Nigeria Premier League (NPL) board elections, Chief Victor Rumson Baribote has declared that he has been vindicated by the numerous outbursts of the candidates to the NFF Board Elections especially those from the South-South and the South-East zones who have since confessed that Davidson Owumi was not eligible to contest the NPL Chairmanship Election.

Baribote in a statement declared:'I am indeed most happy that at long last respected football stakeholders and administrators are coming out to say the truth on Owumi's ineligibility to contest the NPL Chairmanship Election. Everybody knows the truth that Owumi is not a Club Chairman and was not elected from the zone as stipulated in the NPL Statutes and the Guideline for the NPL Election.

Owumi was never a Candidate for the NPL chairmanship election which he claims to have won. Football people like Chief Oyuki Obaseki (former NPL Chairman), Fan Ndubuoke (NFF Presidential Aspirant), have all come out to tell Nigerians that Owumi's eligibility to contest the NPL chairmanship election was not in line with the NPL Statutes.

With all these startling revelations coming from highly respectable football Nigerians, I hope the NFF can now boldly respect and implement the clear ruling of the NFF arbitration tribunal whose detailed award held that Owumi was not eligible to contest the NPL chairmanship election.Owumi should therefore vacate the Office of the NPL chairman which he currently holds illegally.' Baribote who has since taken his case to world soccer governing body ,FIFA, vowed to fight on until justice is done.

'I am not going to relent. I have the mandate of the South South zone and I wont allow the illegality perpetuated by the NPL electoral committee to stand, moreso when there is a tribunal ruling annulling Owumi's election.'