At the resumed hearing in Awka of two suits filed by Chief Gabriel Chukwuma and Gabros International, seeking to stop FC Ifeanyi Ubah from participating in the NPFL, the attention of the judge was drawn to the publication in the Weekend SoccerStar by the FC Ifeanyi Ubah lawyer, Prince Ajibola Oluyede. In his response, Justice Gafai emphatically denied making such an order and agreed with Prince Oluyede that it was capable of bringing the judiciary into disrepute and that he would act on it when it was brought to his attention through an affidavit. The hearing, having begun on that turbulent note, proceeded into hours of argument by counsel to Gabros International and Chief Chukwuma, Prof J.N.M. Mbadugha and Prince Oluyede. Upon being shown by Prince Oluyede a copy of the order of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in an action filed by FC Ifeanyi Ubah against Gabros International and Chief Chukwuma, the judge indicated that he was worried that it appeared that he was being put on a collision course with the FCT High Court which had made an order restraining Gabros International, Chief Chukwuma and his agents from interfering with the activities of FC Ifeanyi Ubah and its exclusive use of the Football Club’s stadium in Nnewi, Anambra State. The judge, at a stage asked Gabros International and Chief Chukwuma’s counsel what the status of the order was and having been told that it was valid and subsisting, drew the counsel’s attention to the tenure of the motion he had brought for an order to restrain FC Ifeanyi Ubah from participating in the league and rhetorically asked him if it was not an effort to make him grant a counter-order to that of the FCT High Court or to sit on an appeal over the order of a court of commensurate jurisdiction. On this note, the judge adjourned the matter to March 3, 2016 to hear the preliminary objection filed by FC Ifeanyi Ubah to the action. In the ruling, the court discharged the order he had made on February 10, 2016 that parties maintain the status quo, which had been wrongly interpreted as an order restraining FC Ifeanyi Ubah from participating in the league. With the ruling, the coast is now clear for the match between FC Ifeanyi Ubah FC and Giwa FC on Sunday, February 21, 2016. This was the match the motion filed by Gabros at the Federal High Court, Awka asked the court to stop. After the hearing, the Proprietor of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, reiterated his confidence in the judiciary. He said his club is set to win its first game of the season on Sunday after the encouraging ruling of the court. “I will be cheering my team to victory on Sunday,” he said. Gabros International’s lead counsel, Prof. J. N. M. Mbadugha, when asked for his reaction after the ruling, said: “I am tired now. I have not eaten anything since morning” and waved off our correspondent. Prince Oluyede commented that it should be noted that the judge clearly expressed his worry that there was an apparent attempt to put him on a collision course with the FCT High Court which had restrained Gabros, his agents and privies from interfering with FC Ifeanyi Ubah’s activities. He said the preliminary objection he had filed on behalf of his client raised issues of professional ethics because of the manner Gabros International counsel had filed five different actions on behalf of Gabros International, Chief Chukwuma and his agents or privies seeking for an order to counter that of the FCT High Court rather than appeal against the said order, if dissatisfied, as provided by law. Meanwhile, jubilation rocked the country shortly after the court proceedings as fans and members of the club erupted into cheers as it dawned on them that they were not going to be stopped from playing the match on Sunday after all.]]>