The United States of America has entered into a diplomatic row with the Federal Government over the presidential pardon granted to the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
The United States Government, through its embassy in Abuja, had criticized the decision of the Nigerian government to grant pardon to officials convicted of corruption.
In a series of posts on Twitter, the US government wrote, “The USG (United States Government) is deeply disappointed over the recent pardons of corrupt officials by the GON (Government of Nigeria). We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.”
This elicited a swift reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who summoned the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy, James P. McAnulty to protest the tweet credited to its spokeswoman, Deb MacLean.
The ministry protested what it termed ‘undue interference and meddlesomeness in the internal affairs of Nigeria’ from the US Embassy in Abuja.
The protest, which was conveyed by diplomatic note, added that it “was not the first time a government in Nigeria or elsewhere would grant state pardon to individuals who have committed one crime or the other and that the pardon granted is entirely consistent with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.”
The ministry concluded by saying it hoped “that the Embassy of the United States of America would henceforth desist from making unwarranted comments on Nigeria’s internal affairs which are capable of undermining the friendly relations that exist between them.”
Deb MacLean, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, declined to comment Friday night about Nigeria’s remarks. The foreign affairs ministry singled MacLean out as the one responsible for making the comments on Twitter, even though it was unclear who wrote the posts. It is likely Ambassador Terence McCulley at least signed off on the message, given the top-down structure of the agency.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said earlier Friday that the “recent pardons of corrupt officials by the Nigerian government” are a setback for the U.S. support to strengthen the rule of law in Nigeria, “which is very important for the future of the country.”