Managers of the Nigeria Premier League, the League Management Company
(LMC) on Friday morning sent out a lengthy release refuting reports
going round that a court ruling has nullified its mandate.
The note, which is largely aimed at their sponsors, reads in part:
“In response to the numerous enquiries it has received over the last
48 hours, League Management Company Limited (LMC) wishes to reassure
the football fraternity in Nigeria, its corporate sponsors and the
Nigerian public that there has not been any judicial pronouncement,
order or decision that restrains, impedes or jeopardises the
operations of LMC and the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
“LMC is aware of the several orchestrated misleading reports carried
in the media about an interlocutory ruling given in a suit pending
before the High Court of Lagos State.
“The general public should be informed that these reports do not
represent the accurate state of affairs as pertaining to the suit.
The suit is still pending and the hearing of the main case is even yet
to commence.
“No final order or judgment has been delivered in the case. The
correct position with the interlocutory order granted by the court
which has been variously misrepresented in the media reports on same
so far, is that the trial court ordered that LMC should not interfere
with the contract between Total Promotions Ltd and the 1st defendant
in the case, (the Nigeria Football League Ltd [NFLL]).
“And (the) body (NFLL) was recently declared illegal by Hon. Justice
D. U. Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a judgment
delivered on January 20, 2012, and ordered to be mandatorily wound up
by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for failure to comply with
the law governing the registration of companies in Nigeria in its
formation and composition.
“In order to prevent the kind of misrepresentation now being peddled
about in the media regarding the ruling, LMC, in exercise of its
constitutional right, has at July 3, 2014 filed an appeal against the
interlocutory ruling of the High Court, in question.
“The Notice of Appeal filed by LMC is based on several grounds
including that; the Learned Judge presiding over the case gave an
order in respect of a contract that was never produced in evidence
before the Court (even when LMC’s Lawyers pointed out repeatedly to
the court that the alleged contract was not before the court) and has
thereby disabled herself from hearing the main case by unfairly
prejudging the merits of the case at the interlocutory stage.
“In addition, it is important, having regards to these developments,
that the public is informed that a different Judge of the same High
Court of Lagos State had earlier this year given judgment for LMC and
ruled that LMC is distinct and separate from NFLL and as such
contracts between NFLL and third parties cannot be imposed on LMC.
The release went to state that the said publication is a ruse to foist
on the LMC, contracts Total Promotions had entered into, and that it
should be ignored.
