Piqued by the scandal that broke out last week over a bribery allegation against the chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Organizing and Disciplinary (O&D) Committee, Leye Adepoju, a member of the committee, Iyke Igbokwe has petitioned NFF’s Executive Committee led by Aminu Maigari.
Igbokwe in a petition made available to our correspondent, alleged that Mr. Adepoju, who also doubles as the chairman, Oyo state Football Association collected the sum of N1.5 million from Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan to secure favourable decision against Sunshine FC of Akure.
While assuring that he has exhibits to back up his claim, he called on the Executive Committee of the NFF to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to thoroughly investigate the matter in line with Articles 34e and 61 of the NFF Statutes.
We reproduce below, the petition sent to NFF unedited.
LEYEGATE BRIBERY SCANDAL
PETITION AGAINST A MEMBER OF THE NFF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, CHAIRMAN OF NFF DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE, AND CHAIRMAN OF OYO STATE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, BARRISTER LEYE ADEPOJU FOR SOLICITING BRIBE FROM SHOOTING STARS SPORTS CLUB (3SC), IBADAN ON THE SUNSHINE STARS F.C. VS. SHOOTING STARS F.C. MATCH PROTEST BEFORE THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE.
Please accept my sincere warm compliments on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
I find it quite necessary in order to save Nigeria Football from the current crisis and uproar engulfing it as a result of the conflicting decisions being delivered by the NFF Disciplinary Committee on Protests coming from Clubs from the League matches, to write you this serious Petition against One of the Members of the NFF Executive Committee who is also the Chairman of the sensitive NFF Disciplinary Committee and the Chairman of the Oyo State Football Association, Barrister Leye Adepoju. The Petition against Barrister Adepoju is on the grave allegation of soliciting and receiving a Bribe of One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 500,000.00) from Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) on the Sunshine Stars F.C. Protest which is a matter before the same Disciplinary Committee which Barrister Leye Adepoju heads as Committee Chairman.
The case against Barrister Leye Adepoju is that Sunshine Stars F.C. and Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) had played a Premier League match in Akure, the home ground of Sunshine Stars F.C. which ended in a stalemate as the match was not concluded. Shooting Stars Sports Club had protested to the NFF Disciplinary Committee on the match alleging that Fans/Supporters of Sunshine Stars F.C. had physically assaulted the Oyo State Commissioner of Sports, Hon. Dapo Lam Adesina and Shooting Stars Sports Club camera man and the assault was what led to discontinuation of the match.
Now, Barrister Leye Adepoju who is the Chairman of the NFF Disciplinary Committee on his own went to Shooting Stars Sports Club Management to request the Club to give him One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 500,000.00) to bribe the Members of the Disciplinary Committee as he (Barrister Adepoju) is the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and selects who to invite to sit on the Disciplinary Committee Panel. Shooting Stars Sports Club gave him the money he demanded and made him to sign for the collection of the money.
I came into the picture in a bizarre way which I will not expose in this Petition for security of my evidence but which I will expose how I came to know about Barrister Leye Adepoju’s solicitation and receipt of the Bribe request from Shooting Stars Sports Club when I appear before any Committee set up by the NFF on this sad Petition. I have other evidences on the Bribery allegation against Barrister Adepoju which I will present to the Committee at its sitting to hear the merits of this my patriotic Petition. But One evidence I will present in this Petition is the Payment Voucher signed by Barrister Adepoju confirming the receipt and payment of the sum of One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 500,000) to Barrister Leye Adepoju by Shooting Stars Sports Club for Members of the Disciplinary Committee on the Sunshine Stars/3SC case. Please find attached, the Payment Voucher as“Exhibit 1”.
Finally, the Bribery allegation involving Barrister Leye Adepoju is a huge Scandal and dent on the image of the NFF Executive Committee, the NFF Disciplinary Committee and the entire NFF as a body, The Allegation is a serious misconduct of gross abuse of Barrister Adepoju’s office as the Chairman of NFF Disciplinary Committee and a Member of the NFF Executive Committee which is the highest Football Ruling organ in Nigeria. The image of the NFF as a responsible Organization untainted with Corruption is hugely damaged by the Bribery allegation and conduct of Barrister Adepoju as the issue is already in the public domain in the Radio Stations, Television Stations, the Newspapers and the Internet. Nigerians are therefore watching what the NFF led by the NFF Executive Committee will do on the highly scandalous allegation against one of its members. I count on the NFF to thoroughly investigate this Petition and sanction Barrister Adepoju if found guilty accordingly.
I urge the NFF Executive Committee to immediately set up an Ad-hoc Committee in line with Articles 34e and 61 of the NFF Statutes to look into the serious allegation of Bribery and Corruption raised against Barrister Adepoju in this Petition.
Finally, I want to emphasis that Shooting Stars Sports Club is not involved in this Bribery Scandal because I used the Club to set up and exposed the corrupt man once he approached the Club to request for the bribe. That was how I got the Payment Voucher which Barrister Adepoju signed to collect the Bribe money from Shooting Stars Sports Club.
Thank you for your prompt action.
Yours Faithfully,
Barrister Iyke Leo Igbokwe
Petitioner
