NPL ELECTION: BARIBOTE SURE OF JUSTICE

Bayelsa United chairman, Victor Baribote, says he is confident that his appeal against the election of Davidson Owumi as chairman of the Nigeria Premier League will be upheld.

Baribote, lost 13-4 to Owumi on Saturday but he is hopeful of winning his appeal saying the NPL board election guidelines and statutes were not duly followed during the polls.

'I believe that the appeal committee will deliver justice in this matter. Our prayer is that through the appeal committee this anomaly made by the electoral committee that conducted the elections into the NPL board would be corrected and the rightful winner, Baribote, declared the winner of the election,' a member of Baribote's camp said.

'Ranch Bees chairman, Abdulazeez Mohammed, is the only candidate eligible to contest for the Chairman of Chairmen, while the Chairman of Bayelsa United, Baribote, is the only one eligible to run for the chairmanship of the NPL.'

He also alleged that 'Owumi got his nomination from Enugu Rangers secretary, Chibuzor Paul Ozor while, two other candidates namely Dominic Nwodo and General Okaro (rtd.) were also nominated by same club which did not follow the dictates of the election guidelines and NPL statutes.

'Muti Adepoju of 3SC from South-West Zone also nominated Owumi, even though the election guidelines states that 'clubs shall be eligible to nominate and endorse only one candidate, while Section F (ii) states that the nomination/endorsement shall be for only candidates within the zone of the nominating/endorsing clubs except where there are equal numbers of candidates and nominations as well as endorsement. In this circumstance, the election shall be referred and conducted on the floor of the congress.'