The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, has disclosed that the outgone United States of America Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, tendered an apology for breaching diplomatic protocol by writing directly to the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, over the alleged sexual misconduct labeled against some members of the Nigerian House of Representatives.
He noted that Entswistle was supposed to pass through the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Onyema, who stated this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ethics and Privilege Committee and House Committee on Foreign Relations public investigative hearing in Abuja.
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, adding that the Ambassador stated they could not provide “sufficient evidence”.
He said the ambassador did not say the allegations were true or not but wrote the speaker because of the impression the allegation created, as it could affect Nigerians participating in future programme.
Onyema said: “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.”
The three members facing allegations of sexual misconduct are Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi); Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue).
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