The three Nigerian lawmakers accused of rape have been asked to resign

The accused lawmakers

The three Nigerian lawmakers who have been accused of attempted rape and soliciting for sex during a visit to the US have been asked to resign,The accused were among 10 lawmakers invited by the US government for the programme held between April 7 and 13, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio,although the accused lawmakers denied the allegations and want to seek for a redress in court.


Following the embarrassing alleged sexual misconduct of three members of the House of Representatives during their visit to the US, prominent groups and individuals have said if the allegation is true, the affected members should resign,Punch reports.
James Entwistle, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, in a letter dated June 9, addressed to the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, alleging that three members of the House, Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) while on an official visit to the US brought disrepute to the parliament by soliciting for sex from prostitutes and grabbing a hotel housekeeper in a bid to rape her.
But the lawmakers dismissed the allegation as “baseless and untrue” threatened to sue the ambassador and the US government for “character defamation and a calculated attempt to ridicule the National Assembly.” But Malachy Ugwummadu, a lawyer and president of committee for defence of human rights, described the “scandal as one too many.” He also said the lawmakers should be prosecuted either in Nigeria or in the US depending on available evidence.

Another lawyer and rights activist, Jiti Ogunye, who made a similar call, dismissed the threat of legal action by the legislators. Ogunye said: “Our legislators are globally notorious for earning more than they deserve paradoxically, in a country where the people are living in largely below the poverty line. However, the allegation of going to the US to procure illicit sex has added further insult to our injury. “We hope that the allegation is not true. If the allegation is established, the legislators should resign from office. And if they remain in office they should be barred from embarking on foreign trips so that they will not further disgrace Nigeria.” Wahab Shittu, another prominent lawyer, said the scandal was a reflection of Nigeria’s collapsing value system. Shittu said: “If the legislators are indicted and their allegations and found to be guilty, they should be recalled by their constituents if they don’t have the courage to resign.”
Yinka Odumakin, the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, on his part, urged the House to suspend the affected lawmakers. In a related development, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has asked the American government to provide foolproof evidence that three Nigerian lawmakers indeed committed sexual crimes.

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