"It Is Terrible To Disrespect Court Orders" - AFN Tells Minister of Sports

  "It Is Terrible To Disrespect Court Orders" - AFN Tells Minister of Sports By Omolagba Oluwayemi Technical Director, Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Sunday Adeleye has frowned at the way the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare disrespected the court order. The Federal High Court in Abuja had given an order that Ibrahim Shehu Gusau remains the substantive President of the AFN while the Appeal Court also affirmed the High Court judgment. The Technical Director while speaking with BSN Sports during the 20th National Sports Festival at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City stated that all efforts made by the AFN to settle the lingering court issues has been frustrated by the Ministry of Sports. "We've tried several times to meet the Hon. Minister of Sports but it had proved abortive but again it's so painful to hear and also to know that in my own time and lifetime, someone in government elected, to represent the Youth will disrespect the decision of the court. "I don't understand if some of us are not Nigerians as I'm not from Ghana, but a Nigeria and I feel it's terrible when you see people of that caliber saying they'll not respect court orders and judgement of a competent jurisdiction in Nigeria is disheartening." "Of course, we kept talking about interference and interference, we've had several issues with the court and judgements have always been in our favour that Ibrahim Shehu Gusau remains the substantive president of Athletics Federation of Nigeria and that Sunday Adeleye is the Technical Director and after that we've been doing all we could to ensure that we put the house in order. "Well I think there is a problem when you don't understand the interpretation of law as a legal person in that department. It is clear for you to get a stay of execution. If there is a judgement, you get a stay of execution and then the judgement stays but now there is no stay of execution, there is nothing, you're just applying for a stay of execution now that you don't even have right to do, so there is no stay of execution and ignorance of the law is not it at all, he said referring to the other party vying for the leadership position of the AFN. "We're taking up the matter but there is no stay of execution, so, you cannot claim that because the case is in the supreme court anyone can continue to do whatever they like. "There is a procedure and the Nigeria judiciary is very strong. We respect them and we give them all accolades because they keep to what they've been doing he further explained. "There is a judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja and then another judgement in our favour from the court of Appeal in Abuja so if there's an appeal in the Supreme Court that doesn't mean the judgement of the Court of Appeal should be set aside. The Court of Appeal have affirmed the judgement of the High Court which is a straight thing to understand. Although I'm not a learned person in the legal department but of course I'm a Nigerian and have followed cases and I know what it is," he concluded.