IMC will respond, Owumi said
The legal battle between Total Promotions Limited (TPL) and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) over the league’s broadcast rights may not be over.
TPL officials told The Guardian that the body had the broadcast rights for the Nigerian Premier League from the 2010-2011 to 2018-2019 season, but added that they were abruptly stopped using the rights in 2013 by the defunct League Management. Company (LMC), which was recently replaced by IMC. He said since then, Total Promotions is fighting to win the league title properly.
In a notice dated February 17, 2023, available to The Guardian, the lawyer for TPL wrote to the chairman of the IMC, Gbenga Elegbeleye and also copied the Minister of Youth Development and Sports, Sunday Dare, GTI Group and SuperSports International, informing about a window to resolve the lingering title rights issue , which according to them, has been breached by various organizers of the league.
“It is important to note that there is a succession of managers or operators of the Nigerian Premier League/Nigerian Football League/Nigerian Professional Football League, the contracts and obligations made or performed by previous managers or operators of the same league cannot be ignored or wish to leave.
“These contracts and liabilities must last and must be considered as part of the assets and liabilities of the league management body. On this note, we must follow the historic contractual relationship between our client and the Nigeria Premier League/Nigeria Football League which started in 2006,” write the letter.
Contacted by The Guardian, Chief Operating Officer of IMC, Davidson Owumi said: “I have seen a series of reports on social media about the letter from TPL. For me, this is not the best channel, regarding the issue. The matter of legality should be resolved in court.
“Yes, I don’t know anything about the contract between TPL and LMC. I do not know the contents and conditions of the contract, its duration, and whether it has passed or not. But if you talk about broadcasting properly, a lot has changed. Broadcasts are now live broadcasts, radio broadcasts, terrestrial television, etc., “he said. Speaking further, Owunmi stated that he was angry with one of the social media reports titled: ‘Open Letter to Davidson Owumi.’
“First of all, Owumi is not IMC. Yes, I agree that the owner of TPL and I have come a long way, but it is necessary to separate a friendship or family relationship with something like this. If a lawyer has written to the IMC, he should expect a response.
The Guardian learned yesterday that a recent move by some top IMC officials to bring back SuperSports to broadcast the Nigerian league was sidelined by South African satellite television due to the ongoing battle with Total Promotions Limited.