Nigeria Content Online

Telecommunications
outfit, Globacom, has withdrawn the suit it instituted against the
Nigeria Premier League (NPL) challenging the propriety of awarding of
the country’s Premier League title rights to rival telecommunication
firm, MTN.

Globacom,
represented by its lawyers, on Tuesday filed a notice of discontinuance
before presiding judge, Mohammed Liman at the Federal High Court in
Lagos.

The notice of
discontinuance was brought in pursuant to Order 50 Rule 2(1) of the
Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009.

Globacom had
through its lawyer, Abiodun Adesanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
filed the suit challenging the award of the league sponsorship right to
MTN, claiming that the NPL ignored the tenets of due process in the
entire process.

The
telecommunications company, which had previously sponsored the Nigerian
top flight for four years before pulling out last year, said it was
shocked to hear that MTN had won the title sponsorship right, even when
it (MTN) did not participate in the bid process.

However, the league body said MTN was represented by Total Promotions all through the bidding process.

Speaking on the latest development, a senior official of Globacom who did not want to be name said:

“We did this in the interest of Nigerian football. The longer we
stayed in court the further the league would continue to suffer and
that was not what we set out to do from the outset.” He said his
company will seek other dispute resolution mechanisms while also
looking for other avenues to contribute to the development of football
in Nigeria.