Sports
Court Throws Out Owumi’s Suit Against NPL
Davidson Owumi’s suit against the Nigeria Football League (NFL) Limited and two others has been dismissed by Justice Abubakar Umar of the Abuja High Court.
The two others are Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe and Chief Victor Baribote, who is the Chairman of the board of Nigeria Premier League (NPL), the Nigerian top league organising body owned by NFL.
Ibidapo-Obe is the chairman of the Arbitration Tribunal set up by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to settle the dispute arising from the NPL board elections of May 8, 2010.
Owumi had filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction to nullify the decision by the tribunal headed by Prof. Ibidapo-Obe which declared the elections as null and void.
The former Sharks FC player had also asked the court to nullify the tribunal’s declaration of Baribote as NPL Chairman.
Delivering his ruling, Justice Umar held that the suit filed by Owumi was “a gross abuse of court process.”
He further held that Owumi was trying to use a legal process to accomplish an unlawful purpose.
Justice Umar held that Owumi had earlier instituted a similar case at the Federal High Court which had the same jurisdiction as the FCT High Court.
The Judge said the doctrine of “res judicata” which means “finally decided” prevented a litigant from getting yet another day in court after the first lawsuit had been concluded by another court.
He said the judgment delivered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court on the suit filed by Owumi was binding.
The Federal High Court had upheld the award of the Arbitration Tribunal headed by Ibidapo-Obe which nullified the 2010 poll.
“The rule provides that when a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final judgment on the merits of a case, another court with the same jurisdiction, cannot adjudicate on the same matter.
“The final judgment on the matter by my brother Justice Kolawole bars further claims by the same parties based on the same cause of action.
“Owumi failed in his attempts to convince the court that the suit he filed at the FCT High Court is not the same as the one which judgment had earlier been delivered at the Federal High Court,” he said.
Umar, therefore, struck out the suit for lack of merit.
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CAFCL : Rivers United Arrives DR Congo
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
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FIFA rankings: S’Eagles drop Position, remain sixth in Africa
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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