The First Vice-president of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) and former Super Eagles Star, Clement Temile, have threatened to charge the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Phillip Shaibu to court unless he washes his hands off the Players Union’s matters, BSN Sports reports.
Phillip Shaibu was appointed Chairman of a seven-man Reconciliation Committee of the Players Union, set up by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to harmonise the two players unions.
Recall that The Nigerian Observer on March 30 reported that the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Reconciliation Committee and Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, called on members of the All Nigerian Football Players Union (ANFPU) and the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) to bury the hatchet and resolve lingering issues hampering the smooth running and progress of the unions which also impacted the wellbeing of many members.
In the Observer report, Shaibu, himself a former sportsman with a keen interest in the promotion of sports and the advancement in the welfare of sportsmen and women, past and present, was reported to have addressed members of ANFPU and PFAN during the meeting at Government House, Benin City.
Shaibu urged both parties to be united and act in good faith to address challenges facing both retired and active football players.
The Observer report added that the Edo Deputy Governor stressed the need for both parties to be united and have a strong management system with consideration for the mentoring and promotion of young, upcoming players.
According to BSN Sport, the NFF, in a recent meeting, gave the committee the mandate to set up a new Players Union, draft a new constitution and also give a new name to a freshly created Union.
In a swift reaction to what has been described as a ploy to further deepen the induced crisis that led to the break-away ANPFU, the PFAN Task Force has condemned the move to set up a new players union as a misnomer and miscalculated attempt by the NFF to further strengthen its purported stranglehold on Nigerian football.
Clement Temile, the former Super Eagles Star said to BSN, “How can nonmembers who call themselves a committee be drafting constitution for an existing body with Executive Members of which I am one of them? This won’t work while I am alive.
“The Edo State Deputy Governor, Phillip Shaibu, is someone I respect so much but I will rubbish him if he allows himself to be used by the NFF for such dirty job,” Temile further said.
“We were in Benin with the Deputy Governor, Phillip Shaibu, following invitation sent to us, and we held meeting with ANPFU in the presence of the Committee led by the Deputy Governor.
“I was aware that a pre-meeting had been held between ANPFU and committee on how to carry out their plans. I am the chairman of the committee from PFAN and we wrote to him (Phillip Shaibu) that the visit was a courtesy visit and not for settlement agreement between PFAN and ANPFU. But in the meeting he was trying to impose things on us.
“And as if that was not enough, they put up a constitution for Players Union without the consent of elected Executive Member of PFAN. I have never seen this happen before anywhere in the world. Bringing an interim government, changing of an existing name? Where did they get that power from? He asked rhetorically.
“At this level, I will personally take it up with him, rub him in the mud and end his political career unless he takes his hands off Players Union matters. He should concentrate on his political career, but thinking of using Players Union to score cheap political goals to seek favour from people will not work.
“I will charge him to court . You cannot appoint an interim government when my position is still valid for two years.” He added.
Another top official of PFAN, Rumson Baribote insisted that unless the NFF wanted to act against its own statute. The statute didn’t give neither the Federation nor the Committee such power.
Baribote furthersaid the first meeting held in Abuja in 2022, was at the instance of the NFF and presided over by NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, and also had in attendance the Deputy Governor of Edo State, His Excellency Phillip Shaibu and Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, as well as PFAN task force members that included Dahiru Sadi, Edema Fuludu, Austin Popo and Chief Rumson Victor Baribote.
Baribote stated that the meeting was supposed to be a continuation of an ongoing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Initiated by the Mohammed Kurfi led States Football Association Chairmen on the disputed September 30th NFF election which is pending in the Court of Appeal Abuja Division.
“That the PFAN Task Force was looking forward to an independent committee to address urgent reforms, imbalance, equity and fair representation in the composition of the NFF Congress, its Board and sub-committees in consonance with decisions reached at the meeting of 6th of December and previous meetings.
He continued, “the Players Union have no issues for reconciliation, and if even there are such issues it is not within the purview of the NFF to set up a committee to address such issues. Such issues if any, are internal matters of the Players Union as an independent organisation and does not require any external influence.”
Evidently displeased by the alleged plans to form a new Players Union, starting with a constitution drafting committee, Baribote criticised the plans, stating that, “PFAN has a constitution, so what other constitution are we talking about here? I’m confused.
“Anyway, to put the records straight, PFAN is one of the statutory members of NFF as embodied in Article 10.1 of the NFF Statutes 2010 as amended and Article 18(2) of same Statutes gives independence to the five statutory members of the NFF of which PFAN is one of them ‘to take any decision regarding their members without external influence’.
“So one cannot imagine nonmembers drafting a constitution that will bind members of an organisation that you are not a member. I take exception to the plans to create another Players Union, which for me, is for the purpose of further deepening the crisis,” Baribote added.
