Reps sex scandal: Committee delivers final judgement to senators

– The House of Reps ethics committee has found the lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct innocent

– The case which began in June after accusation by the US ambassador to Nigeria has come to an end

– The accused lawmakers were cleared due to lack of evidence

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House of Reps scandal
On June 9, 2016 the US ambassador to Nigeria, James Enwistle accused three members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Mohammed Gololo (AP-Bauchi); Mark Gbillah (APC-Benue) and Samuel Ikom (PDP-Akwa Ibom) of sexual misconduct while on a trip to the United States.

The three accused House of Representative members have however been exonerated four months later. The ethics and privileges committee passed the verdict on Tuesday, October 11 in a report submitted to the House of Representatives.

The three lawmakers had been accused of sexually assaulting a house keeper and soliciting for sex while attending the International Visitors Leadership Programme in Cleveland, Ohio.

Nicholas Ossai, who is the chairman of the House committee on ethics and privileges, while presenting the report exonerating the lawmakers, said that they were cleared for want of evidence.

The US ambassador who had written a letter accusing the lawmakers had been asked to provide video evidence and it is not immediately clear if he was able to do so.

Also it was revealed that the committee did not invite management of the hotel where the alleged misconduct occurred to present any evidence.

Ossai said: “Rep. Mohammed Gololo, Rep. Mark Gbillah and Rep. Samuel Ikom are cleared of and exonerated from the allegations leveled against them by the US Ambassador to Nigeria in his June 9, 2016 letter to Speaker for want of evidence.

“In the light of the foregoing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs should engage the US Ambassador to Nigeria with a view to finding a seamless resolution of the domestic fall out of this unfortunate incident as it relates to the lawmakers.’’

Ossai then urged the ministry of foreign affairs to remind the US Embassy of the need to always adopt the official channel of communications in its dealing with any organ or institution of government.

This will be welcome news to the lawmakers who had reacted emotionally to the accusation. One of them Mark Gbillah, whose voice was trembling while testifying in June said: “We were not contacted by the US embassy to hear from us about what transpired at the hotel.

This is the only evidence they admitted that they have contrary to all fallacious statements in the media about them having video evidence.

I can then dare the U.S. government today to produce the video evidence about something that does not exist. Some of us will not relent in this matter. But, when you have concluded we are taking it up at whatever U.S. department wants because it is my reputation and career and I will not take this lying low.”