Reps Sex Scandal: US Ambassador does not have sufficient evidence- Onyema
Fri Jul 22, 2016 09:56:am National
3.3K By Buchi Obichie
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, stated at the House of Reps. on Thursday, that there had been no sufficient evidence to prove that the three Reps. accused of sexual misconduct really committed the crime.
The three members facing the sexual misconduct allegations are Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi); Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue).
Onyema made his comments at the public investigative hearing before the House of Representatives Ethics and Privilege Committee, and House Committee on Foreign Relations.
The Minister also disclosed that the outgoing American Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, had tendered an apology for breaching diplomatic protocol by writing directly to the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, over the allegation, instead of passing through the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
According to the Minister, the Ambassador told him that the letter to Speaker Dogara was a private diplomatic and confidential letter which was not for public consumption; but expressed surprise that the letter was in public domain.
Onyema however said the leakage of the letter called into question, the integrity of channels of communication in the House of Representatives; adding that one option that would have been available on receiving the letter, was to have enquiries made.
He said the Ambassador did not say the allegations were true or not, but wrote the Speaker because of the impression the allegations created, as it could affect Nigerians participating in future programmes.
He also informed the committee that the Ambassador told him that the house keeper in the hotel, who was allegedly grabbed by Mohammed Gololo, had refused to testify before the American authorities.
Onyema said the evidence was not as strong as the allegation, when he demanded the former from the Ambassador.
In his words: "I was surprised that the alleged complainant (house keeper) refused to testify when approached by her Government.
"Regarding my meeting with the US Ambassador, the first point I made to him was that he didn't at any point notify the Ministry about the matter; and he said it was his failing, and apologized.
"He said he deemed it fit to write a private letter to the Speaker. I asked him what kind of evidence they obtained that emboldened him to write such letter; and that without evidence, it would amount to a defamatory act and that legal action could be taken.
"He said the hotel management reported the matter. The Ambassador, however, did not present any corroborative evidence to me nor did he, indeed, indicate that they had any corroborative evidence because even the issue of identity, I understand, was based on group pictures.
"Yes it is confirmed that allegations were made obviously, but what he told me was that the housekeeper in the hotel refused to testify in respect of the matter which I was quite surprised to hear."
According to Onyema, no steps had been taken to confirm the allegations.
On the three-year ban imposed on the three Lawmakers from entering America, the Minister said the US embassy had total discretion on who to issue visas to, and might not give any reasons or explanations to anybody.
The three members facing the sexual misconduct allegations are Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi); Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue).
Onyema made his comments at the public investigative hearing before the House of Representatives Ethics and Privilege Committee, and House Committee on Foreign Relations.
The Minister also disclosed that the outgoing American Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, had tendered an apology for breaching diplomatic protocol by writing directly to the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, over the allegation, instead of passing through the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
According to the Minister, the Ambassador told him that the letter to Speaker Dogara was a private diplomatic and confidential letter which was not for public consumption; but expressed surprise that the letter was in public domain.
Onyema however said the leakage of the letter called into question, the integrity of channels of communication in the House of Representatives; adding that one option that would have been available on receiving the letter, was to have enquiries made.
He said the Ambassador did not say the allegations were true or not, but wrote the Speaker because of the impression the allegations created, as it could affect Nigerians participating in future programmes.
He also informed the committee that the Ambassador told him that the house keeper in the hotel, who was allegedly grabbed by Mohammed Gololo, had refused to testify before the American authorities.
Onyema said the evidence was not as strong as the allegation, when he demanded the former from the Ambassador.
In his words: "I was surprised that the alleged complainant (house keeper) refused to testify when approached by her Government.
"Regarding my meeting with the US Ambassador, the first point I made to him was that he didn't at any point notify the Ministry about the matter; and he said it was his failing, and apologized.
"He said he deemed it fit to write a private letter to the Speaker. I asked him what kind of evidence they obtained that emboldened him to write such letter; and that without evidence, it would amount to a defamatory act and that legal action could be taken.
"He said the hotel management reported the matter. The Ambassador, however, did not present any corroborative evidence to me nor did he, indeed, indicate that they had any corroborative evidence because even the issue of identity, I understand, was based on group pictures.
"Yes it is confirmed that allegations were made obviously, but what he told me was that the housekeeper in the hotel refused to testify in respect of the matter which I was quite surprised to hear."
According to Onyema, no steps had been taken to confirm the allegations.
On the three-year ban imposed on the three Lawmakers from entering America, the Minister said the US embassy had total discretion on who to issue visas to, and might not give any reasons or explanations to anybody.
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