Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo says he will ‘never obey’ any court order that is not explicitly served on him, amid accusations of disobeying a court order after appearing in public with Amaju Pinnick, whose election as the Nigeria Football Federation President was annulled by the Federal High Court in Jos.
The Sports Minister was with Pinnick in Lagos when the Falcons arrived in Nigeria with the AWC trophy, and Pinnick received the team as the NFF President – an event which has led to accusations of Danagogo disobeying court orders.
But Danagogo, a Doctor of Law, has defended his actions, saying he will never obey a court order that wasn’t served on him.
Tamuno Danagogo
“I will never obey a court order based on what a newspaper or television is telling me. You can come and tell me the court has said Amaju is President or the court has said Giwa is President, I will not obey that,” said Danagogo.
“You obey or disobey a court order based on order of court, duly endorsed by the court and served on you.”
The sports minister also says he has no right to stop Amaju Pinnick from parading himself as the NFF President until he receives a formal order from the court ordering him to do so.
“If I have not received any such formally enrolled order of court and then I go to either a football function and then I see Amaju (Pinnick) there, I will have no right whatsoever in this world to tell him to leave, I cannot,” he added.
“It is only when a court enrols a mandatory order and serves on me and says that ‘don’t ever do this with this man’, that’s when I can say ‘let me be careful’.
“But that has not happened.”
The factions led by Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick held a closed door meeting with the Sports Minister in his office on Tuesday.
Both factions were encouraged to sit down with each other and iron their differences out. They will meet again with Danagogo on Wednesday afternoon.
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