Lee McManis, the Spokesperson of the US Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in a statement said “In reference to the false information published in your article on alleged U.S. financing of Cameroonian opposition parties’ political campaigns, your reporter did not request comment from the U.S. Embassy Spokesperson prior to your publishing. The U.S. government has not contributed and does not intend to contribute financially to any political party or parties, be they governing or opposition.”

The spokesperson said it has been part of the US Embassy in pursuance of its diplomatic duties meet with people of all domains including politicians “As part of its diplomacy, U.S. government officials routinely meet with a wide range of people of any host country, including government leaders and other officials, opposition party leaders and members, the press, religious leaders and members, and civil society representatives. The United States has no preferred candidate or party with respect to Cameroon’s elections. We adhere to the position it is the will of the Cameroonian people to decide on their leader and that elections should be free, fair, and credible elections so that the will of the people is heard.”

According to Mr Lee McManis, the reporters of Le Soir, La Meteo and other newspapers who carried the information did not meet them to have their own version of the story, concluding that it was unprofessional “The U.S. Embassy would like to underscore that your reporter did not contact the Public Affairs Section, which, like at any foreign diplomatic mission, receives all questions from media outlets and responds promptly and appropriately. Had your reporter followed the professional journalistic practice by contacting the source before publishing an article, the Spokesperson would certainly have confirmed that the information you intended to publish, and eventually did publish, was entirely false,” he said in the statement.

One of the persons alleged to have taken money from US Ambassador, SDF candidate, Hon Joshua Osih, told La Nouvelles Expression that such information geared at tarnishing his image is false.