Joe Apu
The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development under the leadership of Sunday Dare has faulted the claim by Mr. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau who is an engineer that the Appeal Cout in Abuja re-affirmed him as the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) in a proceedings held on 29th July 2020.
According to the legal department of the Sports Ministry in release made available to The Sun Sports on Saturday, it stated that contrary to the claim in the social media, what happened on the 29th July 2020 was that the Ministry (the Appellant) through its counsel applied for the withdrawal of the pending motion on notice for stay of the execution of the Federal High Court, Abuja on the judgment delivered on the 1st July 2020 to enable the Honourable Court proceed to the hearing of the substantive appeal which was already ripe or due for hearing and which was also slated for hearing on the 29th July 2020 along with the motion on notice for stay.
It further stated that it was therefore at the instance of the Ministry or upon its application for withdrawal of the motion that the Honourable Court struck out the motion on notice for stay as a matter of legal procedure to pave the way for the expeditious hearing of the substantive appeal and that thereafter proceeded to hear the substantive appeal and reserved its judgment to a date to be communicated to the parties.
“It is on record that the Honourable Court did not either at the time of the withdrawal of the motion on notice for stay of execution and the striking out of the same nor at the time of the hearing of the substantive appeal of the said 29th July 2020 re-affirm Mr. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau as the President of AFN and/or pronounce on the status of Engr. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau.
The sports ministry urged the Board of AFN and members of the public to disregard the false claims/publications and await the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which will be delivered in no distant time.