Rabat - The Nigerian Presidency has confirmed that the President Goodluck Jonathan did not speak on telephone with king Mohamed VI last week, as claimed by the Nigerian Foreign Ministry.
The Nigerian Presidency said in a statement that it has spoken to some African leaders to seek support for the candidacy of the Nigerian Agriculture Minister for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AFDB). However, it said it has not yet spoken to King Mohammed VI.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has also ordered a full-scale investigation into the matter that sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries, with Morocco recalling its ambassador from Abuja.
In a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Goodluck Jonathan said he was “shocked and highly embarrassed by the controversy that has erupted over whether or not he had a telephone conversation with his Majesty, King Mohammed VI of Morocco.”
“The regrettable furor that has developed over the matter is due entirely to misinformation, as President Jonathan has neither spoken with King Mohammed nor told anybody that he had a telephone conversation with the Moroccan monarch,” the statement added.
The controversy began when the Nigerian Foreign Ministry claimed that President Jonathan spoke to King Mohammed VI over the telephone.
However, Morocco denied the Nigerian claims, saying that Mohammed VI had in fact rejected a request from Mr. Jonathan for a conversation.
“The request by Nigerian authorities for a phone conversation between HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President was refused by the Monarch who deemed it inappropriate on grounds of the upcoming elections in Nigeria,” read a statement from the Moroccan Foreign Ministry.
The Nigerian statement added that an investigation is being launched to identify all those responsible for “the unacceptable act of official misinformation, which has resulted in an unnecessary diplomatic row with another country and national embarrassment.” The investigation will also “unveil the motives of the culprits”.
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