Three Nigerian legislators under sexual impropriety probe

The Parliament in Nigeria on Tuesday formally began the investigation of its three members accused of sexual impropriety during a leadership training in the United States.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, while instituting the Investigation, mandated the House Committees on Ethic and Privileges and Foreign Affairs to ensure a detailed investigation into the issue in order to allow lawmakers make an informed decision on the matter.

The three lawmakers, Mohammed Garba Gololo, Mark Gbillah and Samuel Ikon, were part of 10 legislators invited by the U.S government for the International Visitor Leadership Program held between April 7 and 13 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, James F. Entwistle, had, via a letter dated June 9 sent to the Speaker of the House, accused the three lawmakers of sexual impropriety during the program.

One of the three lawmakers, Gbillah, a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), said the country has been inundated with reports about the alleged sexual impropriety leveled against him and two others.

The lawmaker expressed surprise that although the case has not been proven beyond doubt, they have already been condemned by the U.S Ambassador, hence violating the principle of fair hearing.

The parliament's leadership had said it would debate the allegations of impropriety leveled against three of its members by the United States.

Dogara on Monday said if there was no evidence, no action would be taken against the accused lawmakers.

The Chairperson, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Nnena Elendu Ukeje, told reporters that the scandal should not sour the relationship between Nigeria and the United States.

Meanwhile, a cross section of Nigerians has called on the National Assembly to be cautious while reacting to the sexual impropriety allegation against three legislators by the U.S. Government.

Johnchuks Onuanyim, a media practitioner based in Abuja, said the moral thing for the legislators to do was to resign pending the outcome of any inquiry by the house to unravel the truth.

"I don't think that the Speaker of the house should have openly challenged the U.S. government the way he did," he said.

"He should have carried out his investigations first by reaching out to the U.S. Ambassador and then setting up panel of inquiry," he added.

On his part, Emma Okoro, a political analyst, said the lawmakers should be trained on conduct as legislators. Endit