Revealed: Delta State’s move to takeover Kada City forcefully

Revealed: Delta State’s move to takeover Kada City forcefully By Amaechi Agbo Documents showing how the Government of Delta State have and are still making desperate efforts to forcefully take over newly promoted Nigeria Professional Premier League, NPFL club, Kada City is akready in the public space. An investigation by Bestchoicesports shows that indeed, Kada City management and the Delta state government through Delta Force Football Club management signed an agreement for the transfer of ownership of Kada City FC to Delta Force FC. The two parties late 2018 signed an agreement for the Delta State club to buy the slot of the Kaduna State based privately owned club, Kada City FC and also change of ownership. In the agreement signed, the two parties agreed that the changeover and takeover date would be effected on February 20, 2019, after all, t’s have been crossed and I's dotted. In the letter of undertaking signed by the two parties on January 8, 2019, the two clubs agreed that Kada City football club has agreed to transfer full ownership of its slot on the Nigeria Professional Premier League, NPFL, to the Delta State Government which a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, will be put in place before the final takeover of the said slot on 20th February 2019. The letter reads “To this effect, it is hereby agreed that; in consideration of this transfer, a fee of sixty-five million Naira (N65, 000, 000. 00) only will be paid to Mr Ekene Abubakar Adams; • A change of ownership of the club name from Kada City Football Club to Delta Force Football Club will be affected after the takeover; • That the slot of Delta Force Football Club on the Nigeria National League, NNL, will be handed over to Kada City Football Club. • Other conditions of this transfer agreement are spelled out in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to be reached by the parties.” The undertaking was duly signed by representatives of the two parties, Messrs Ekene A. Adams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kada City for Kada City Football Club and Chidi E. Okonkwo, Chairman, Delta Force for Delta Force Football Club. However, Bestchoicesports gathered that while the Delta State government via Delta Force have failed to pay up the required and agreed sum of N65 million as well as sign an MoU that would spell out the terms and conditions of the transfer of ownership and the fate of the Kada City FC players, the Delta State government on February 18, 2019, wrote to the League Management Company, LMC, charged with organising and overseeing the league and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to effect the change of ownership and transfer of the NPFL slot belonging to Kada City FC to Delta Force FC. They also sort the approval of the LMC/NFF to transfer the operational base of the club to Delta state. The government further requested the LMC and the NFF to put on hold all Kada City FC matches until the transfer is effected starting from the away match against Plateau United in Jos on Wednesday 20th February 2019. The letter headed “Application for change of name and transfer of Kada City FC” and addressed to the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC and copied to the NFF and Kada City (Kada City denied receiving the letter) reads “I refer to our early letter dated 11th December 2018 and our agreement between Kada City FC and the owner of Delta Force FC. In accordance with the agreement, we hereby apply to you for the change of Kada City FC to Delta Force FC. “We also wish to apply for your approval to transfer the operational base of the club to Asaba, Delta State. Furthermore, we appeal that all Kada City FC matches be put on hold until the transfer is effected starting from the away match against Plateau United, Jos on Wednesday 20th February 2019. “We are ready to comply with all necessary requirements and pay such fees as may be required of us to grant the necessary approval,” the letter signed by Chidi Emmanuel Okonkwo, Chairman Delta Force FC, read. Bestchoicesports did not receive the copy of Kada City letter either granting or refusing the request of the Delta Force but the management of Kada City told our reporter that they never received any letter from the Delta State government in respect of the transfer and wondered why the government could write to/copy LMC/NFF in the letter when they have not sorted out the requirements, terms, and conditions of the undertaking they signed last year. On the same date of 18th February, in its determination to forcefully takeover Kada City, Delta Force also wrote a letter to Kada City. The letter titled “RE: sale and final takeover of Kada City Football Club agreement between Kada City FC and Owners of Delta Force FC,” directed the management of Kada City to effect the change of name and transfer of ownership by writing to the LMC before the 20th February agreed on the date of the takeover. “Further to the agreement dated 11th January, 2019, between us for the sale and transfer of Kada City FC to the owners of Delta Force FC, and further to the full payment of the agreed purchase sum of N65 million (six-five million Naira) only, we write to request that you give the requisite notice in writing to League Management Company Co Ltd (LMC) the administrator and manager of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to effect the transfer. “Accordingly, we expect that your letter of the notice shall reach LMC before the 20th February, 2019, the Final Takeover Date agreed between us,” the letter signed by Chidi E. Okonkwo, Chairman of Delta Force FC, read. Upon the receipt of the letters, LMC promptly wrote Kada City for confirmation in line with NPFL rules. The letter addressed to Kada City of which Delta Force FC was copied and signed by the Chairman, LMC, Shehu Dikko, with heading “RE: sale and final takeover of Kada City FC – agreement between Kada City FC and Delta Force FC – Request for confirmation letter,” reads “We have received a further letter dated February 18, 2019, from the owners of Delta Force concerning the agreement between you and themselves for the sale of Kada City FC to the owners of Delta Force FC. “The letter under reference has the following attachments: 1. Copy of letter dated 18th February, 2019 from Delta Force FC to Kada City FC requesting for a Kada City FC letter notifying the League Management Company Ltd (LMC) of the conclusion of the sale agreement. 2. Copy of Agreement for the sale and transfer of Kada City FC to Delta Force FC by the final takeover date of February 20, 2019. 3. Proof of payment by Delta Force FC to Kada City through Bank transfers “Please find attached the letter under references from Delta Force and above-stated attachments. “In view of the above conclusions, we require you to furnish us soonest with a written confirmation of the Sale Agreement between Kada City FC and Delta Force as required by the regulations applicable to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).” How Delta Force made payments In the letter of undertaking signed by the two parties, it was stated that Delta State Government through Delta Force FC would pay the sum of N65 million to effect the change of ownership and takeover on the agreed date. However, Delta Force has not paid up the full money according to documents obtained by Bestchoicesports. Delta Force FC was believed to have made the payments in trickles on the same date of 11th January 2019 through two different banks. The first payment of thirty million naira (N30, 000, 000.00) on 11th January, 2019 was made through Zenith Bank with deposit slip number 1286404084. Other payments (three payments) on the same day of ten million naira (N10, 000, 000.00) each were made via First City Monument Bank, FCMB, with teller’s number 87333343, 87333262 and 87333195. The above payment documents obtained by our reporter shows that thus far, Delta State Government through Delta Force FC has paid a total sum of sixty million naira (N60, 000, 000.00) only for the purchase of Kada City against six-five million (N65, million naira) agreed on by the two parties. However, what has become a source of worry and immense concern is the mode of payment. None of the payments made through Zenith Bank nor FCMB carried the name of Delta Force FC nor the Delta State Government as the depositor. For instance, while the payment made through Zenith Bank has Apex Krane Intl Construction as the name of the depositor with account number 1012767389, that of the FCMB has no identifiable depositor, according to Bestchoicesports documents obtained. In the correspondences exchanged or sent, Delta Force FC wrote through Delta state government. The letterhead of the Delta Force FC through which they wrote their letters is “GOVERNMENT OF DELTA STATE OF NIGERIA” with “Delta Force Football Club, Asaba,” underneath it. It is expected, therefore, that the said payments made should either have come through the Government of Delta State or through Delta Force FC instead of a third party. When contacted, the chairman, Delta Force FC, Chidi Emmanuel Okonkwo told our reporter that he was not in the right position to speak on the matter and that there is nothing to report or write about the transfer of ownership involving the two clubs. Request by our reporter that he should refer us to the right authority that is competent to speak on the matter was not granted. “I am not in the best position to talk about this because I do not understand where you are coming from. I can’t make a comment about what you are talking about, I do not understand what you are talking about; I do not know what your intentions are. And I don’t know what you want me to clarify. There is nothing to write about because there is no issue about anything. I have gotten everything you are saying and I don’t know the story you want to write because there is no story to write,” Okonkwo told our reporter on phone.