The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) polls in the southern city of Warri were also delayed for several hours by the detention of election chief Samson Ebomhe.
After reportedly being quizzed by agents from Nigeria’s main intelligence branch, the Department of State Services, Ebomhe returned to the conference hall to announce that the leading candidate, Shehu Dikko, would be removed from the ballot.
Dikko had been favoured to take over the NFF, which has been plagued by a series of controversies since the end of the World Cup in Brazil and sanctioned by FIFA.
The businessman, who helped arrange a tour of Nigeria by Manchester United in 2008, is thought to have powerful enemies in Nigerian politics.
But the reasons for his last-minute disqualification were not immediately clear. Pinnick, the president of the Delta State football association in the country’s south, went on to receive 32 votes of the 44-man congress.
His top priority will be deciding on the fate of national coach Stephen Keshi, who led the Super Eagles to the knock-out stage of this year’s World Cup but does not yet have a new contract.
But he may yet have to face further questions from world governing body FIFA about the circumstances surrounding his election. FIFA had warned that the African champions would face a ban until May if election procedures were not followed.
Football’s governing body first sanctioned Nigeria after security agents arrested outgoing NFF President Aminu Maigari when he returned from Brazil in July.
Maigari was impeached by some of his executive committee members on corruption charges.
FIFA then imposed an international ban on the grounds of political interference after a court sacked the NFF high command and the sports minister imposed a civil servant to take temporary charge.
The ban was lifted after nine days and Maigari was reinstated because his dismissal did not follow laid-down procedures.
But in August, the secret police detained him again, preventing him from attending an executive committee meeting where the owner of Nigeria Premier League side Giwa FC, Chris Giwa, took charge.
That prompted Nigerian referees, clubs and players to boycott the domestic leagues and FIFA to threaten to again suspend the African champions if Maigari were not reinstated and fresh elections held.
Maigari did not contest Tuesday’s vote.
WARRI, September 30- Nigeria’s scandal-hit football association elected Amaju Pinnick as its new president on Tuesday, after the front-runner was disqualified hours before the vote.
Ebomhe told AFP that Dikko was removed because he was “absent” from the conference.
jimbojamesiv
November 4, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Mark Kirk is either simply a dick or out of his mind.
And, if you don’t like what I say, then I’d suggest that Mark Kirk loves war, killing, bloodshed and imperialism. He is the terrorist.
Mark
November 5, 2011 at 8:43 am
Between you and Mark Kirk, who is the bigger dick?
jimbojamesiv
November 5, 2011 at 9:10 am
Obviously Mark Kirk is the bigger dick.
But, seriously, I don’t get your point because it’s simply vapid to contend that either I’m a dick or that my comment implies I’m a dick. To the contrary, if you read, my comment, you’d see I’m not a dick, although perhaps we differ on the meaning of the word. I’d say someone who loves war, killing, bloodshed and imperialism is a dick, and, perhaps because you do too, you don’t want to think of yourself as a dick. Well, take it from me, if you think I’m a dick because I hate war, killing, bloodshed and imperialism, then at least accept that you are a bad guy, and it would be amazing because you would be the first person I’ve met in my life who admits they are a bad person.
Kevin K
November 5, 2011 at 9:04 am
jimbojamesiv is either simply a dick or out of his mind.
And, if you don’t like what I say, then I’d suggest that jimbojamesiv loves
war, killing, bloodshed and imperialism. He is the terrorist.
jimbojamesiv
November 5, 2011 at 9:14 am
Good job, Kevin, at parroting what I said. Very impressive, now, how about some logic behind your plagiarized words.
No, I don’t love war, killing, bloodshed or imperialism, but someone who supports sending US troops into Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and essentially every hot spot in the world is. At least get your facts straight, Kevin. Sheesh, are you really that stupid that you can’t even make your own point, and you have to use my words to play baby games, such as, No I’m not, you are. Are you serious?
Anonymous
November 5, 2011 at 2:41 pm
We all already got NATO assets involve in this conflict, SAS are Somalia searching for a British hostage and they probably already sent a few Al’ Shabaab off to meet there virgins already.
I also reckon full access to the US and British an other NATO intelligence resources either in Somalia or flying over Somalia has already been givento the Kenyans and the African peace forces to use. An I be surprise if NATO naval assets in the region are not already launch strikes into Somalia. An I bet Kenya is already been push to the front of the line for any weapons it needs.
We are already up to our necks in this conflict, it just has not been widely publicise yet. Mainly to stopped Al’Shabaab presenting this as another Western invasion of the country.
But you have to be fools not to think Western are not already involve in this war.