Pinnick Emerges NFF President

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has elected Amaju Pinnick as its new president after voting in its elective congress yesterday in Warri.
The 43-year-old Pinnick, who is is Delta State Sports Commission chairman, Delta FA boss and Warri Wolves chairman, secured 32 votes from the 44 available in a second round of voting.
Rivals Dominic Iorfa received eight votes and Taiwo Ogunjobi received four.
In the first round of voting, Pinnick garnered 25 votes, Taiwo Oguijobi got nine votes and Dominic Lorfa had four votes.
However, the man who was believed to be the front-runner for the job, Shehu Dikko, withdrew his candidacy.
Several problems had risen  in the build-up to the polls after the electoral chief Samson Ebomhe was arrested by officers from Nigeria’s main intelligence agency, the Department of State Services (DSS), but later released to preside over the elections.
If the election had not gone ahead, Nigeria would almost certainly have been banned from global football until the next Fifa Congress in May 2015
The high-profile election was a battle between old heads Amanze Uchegbulam, Taiwo Ogunjobi, Mike Umeh, Dominic Iorfa and newcomers Shehu Dikko, Amaju Pinnick and Abba Yola.
But businessman Dikko, who helped arrange a tour of Nigeria for Manchester United in 2008 and has brokered several tie-ups with the English Premier League and the domestic league, pulled out of the race, according to the electoral committee.
The polls went ahead despite a court injunction barring it from taking place and incumbent NFF president Aminu Maigari, his general secretary Musa Amadu and the sports minister Tamuno Danagogo are expected in court on 8 October.
An injunction was purportedly granted to a group led by self-acclaimed NFF president Chris Giwa.
The group has twice been turned back by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in recent weeks.
A petition challenging the validity of the NFF general assembly was last week upheld by a Jos high court which then issued an injunction against the elections.
The elections went ahead nonetheless and thrust Pinnick into one of the hottest seats in African sport.
His immediate task is to decided on the future of Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi, who does not have a contract even though he handled the Super Eagles in two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers earlier this month.
Pinnick is also expected  during his four-year term improve the finances of the often cash-strapped NFF.

Super Falcons on the march to reclaim African Women Championship title in Namibia, 2014