Outgoing US ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, Thursday was absent from the public inquiry on the sex scandal involving three members of the House of Representatives.
The meeting between House of Representatives committee and the US Ambassador to Nigeria over the allegations leveled against three members of the House has now been postponed.
Entwistle was scheduled to appear alongside the minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama. Both were not present at the session, hence the postponement.
The meeting was earlier slated for last Monday, but it was postponed to today, Thursday.
Foreign Affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyema, reportedly sent a letter to the Committee on Wednesday, informing that he was currently attending the 29th Ordinary Session of African Union Summit in Kigali, Rwanda and that he would not be back until July 19. The minister said in the letter that he would be available any date thereafter.
This made the chairman of the committee on ethics and privileges, Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) to adjourn the probe till 20th July when the minister will be around to provide answers to his interactions with the US Ambassador.
Executive Director of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Malachy Ugwumadu, said that the integrity of the country was at stake and that there should not be any more delay on conducting the public hearing.
Members of the Committee also said that the outgoing Ambassador had lost his immunity by writing together to the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara instead of following the formal protocol of routing the letter through the foreign affairs ministry.
The three lawmakers named in the controversy were: Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC-Bauchi); Samuel Ikon (PDP-Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC-Benue) including Gbillah’s wife and child attended the public hearing.
