BY SAB OSUJI

A cold War has erupted in Anambra State House of Sports as the State Sports Development Commission has opened its fangs ready for a naked dance in the public with the State Football Association, Exclusivenews.com.ng reports.

This volcanic explosion follows Monday's five-year suspension of Chijioke Onyedika, a staff of the Sports Commission, by the State Football Association for allegedly breaching the NFF/ANSFA Statute and engaging in acts allegedly bothering on insurbordination.

The FA in the suspension letter dispatched to Onyedika, recalled that the former FA Secretary, refused to appear before its Disciplinary Committee twice when invited to clear himself from alleged involvement in organising 'illegal football matches and  using unlisted referees' to officiate the games.

Twenty-four hours later, the Sports Commission responded to the suspension order, calling the blue of the FA sanctuon.

In a two-page statement, with ref: suspension of Chijioke Onyedika, dated October 31 and signed personally by the Chairman of the Anambra State Sports Development Commission, Patrick Estate Onyedum, a copy of which is the possession of Exclusivenews.com.ng, the Sports Commission hit out hard on the FA, causing it of 'over stepping' their bound.

The Sports Commission expressed stoic support for its staff, clearing him of any wrong doing.In what clearly appears an emerging spark to a face-off between the two Sports bodies, ASSDC said the FA 'lacked the powers to suspend or ban its staff under the Sports Development Commission from carrying out their duties as assigned to them including organising football activities'.
  
Onyedum described the 'ban' on Onyedika as an affront to the authority of Anambra state government  and demanded immediate withdrawal of the 'ban' with 'unreserved apology' to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo.
 
"Our  attention has been drawn to a misguided and asinine letter from the AnSFA branding a competition organised by the Commission as illegal", the Sports Development Commission statement read in part.
 
“The letter purportedly banned Chijioke Onyedika from further participation in football activities in the state and from accessing football arenas anywhere in the state for five years with threats of arrest.
 
“The Commission views this as an affront to the authority of Anambra State Government which Onyedika represents.
 
“For the avoidance of doubt, Chijioke Onyedika is neither a member nor a representative of the government in the ANSFA Board but a senior staff member of the ASSDC and carries the seal of approval of the state government to act in any capacity assigned to him.
 
“Therefore, you (the FA) do not have the powers to stop him from acting on behalf of the state government.You do not also have the capacity to stop him from entering any football facility within the state,” the statement added..
 
The Sports Commission boss stressed that ANSSDC was vested with the powers to drive sports development at the grassroots and amateur levels, stressing that the Anambra FA was overreaching its bounds.
 
"This is a veiled and unwarranted attack on the Sports Commission which is vested with the powers to drive sports development at the grassroots and amateur levels as contained in the Act which established the  Commission in 2018".
 
“The Commission therefore demands unconditional  withdrawal of the suspension letter within 48 hours and an 'unreserved apology' tendered to the Commission and Mr Governor on whose behalf Chijioke Onyedika is acting,” the Commission said.

To further buttress their stoic stance on their staff, the Sports Commission  
copied several top officials Anambra State Government, including but not limited to the Secretary to Anambra State Government, the Chief Chief of Staff to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo as well as the Minister of Sports Development, the 
Nigeria Football Federation, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Anambra Chapter and Anambra State  Referees Council.