Wife called me dog, thug
By Ezrel Tabiowo and Taiye Odewale,
Abuja
The controversy generated by the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, among senators, yesterday continued unabated with the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye (APC Kogi West) telling the National Leader of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tiubu to stop playing God.
Melaye, who was reacting to response from the former Lagos state governor over his (Melaye) Tuesday’s verbal attack on his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu ((APC Lagos Central)), also clarified that his action was provoked by the female lawmaker whom he claimed, called him ‘thug’ and ‘dog.’
Melaye came under severe attacks over his alleged threat to beat up Oluremi Tinubu, whom she was reported to have called unprintable names, during the Senate’s executive session on Tuesday.
And in a sharp reaction, the APC national leader threatened to deal with the lawmaker if she did any untoward thing to his wife. Tinubu spoke through his spokesman, Sunday Dare.
Writing on his Twitter handle, Dare said: “And if Dino thinks nothing will happen if he dare beats up another senator, then he must be living in a fool’s paradise. Things will happen. Dino Malaye sunk to the lowest ever today. From this point, it is downhill for him; a disgrace to the Senate of the Republic.”
Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, Senator Melaye said, the former Lagos state governor is not God, and cannot decide his political fate in 2019 and beyond.
Melaye said: “I heard that Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu said my political career has come to an end. I want to say that Tinubu is not God. I fear only the God almighty, I fear no soul, I only respect souls.
“So far, my political journey to the House of Representatives and the Senate has no political, financial or moral contribution of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the God who has brought me this far is mighty, strong and enough to take me further. What God has given me, no man can give and what God has given to me, no man can take.”
Stating his own side of the story on what led to the altercation between him and her female colleague during the executive session, Melaye said, while making his submissions at the session, meant to appeal to colleagues who instituted cases relating to forgery trial in the court, to withdraw same without harassing anybody, Tinubu in her submission, harassed him by calling him thug and dog.
At first, the lawmaker said he exercised some level of restraint, but his patience was exhausted when she stood up again to describe him as a “dog” and “thug” who must be “tamed.”
Melaye said, it was at this level that he stood up and said to her, “you are stupid,” clarifying that the issue of impeachment was never discussed in the meeting, but that some persons who wanted to score cheap political points, created it and opted to tell lies to the press.
Melaye, who said Tinubu kept shouting “dog, thug” repeatedly, described as untrue reports that some senators shielded her from his assault, saying he never made any attempt to come close to her, neither did any senator interfere in the shouting match between them.
He added that no senator attempted to caution him during the shouting match because everyone was irritated by Tinubu’s action and expressions.
The Kogi-born lawmaker further alleged that his trouble with the senator and her husband started after they called him several times and asked him to withdraw his support for Senator Bukola Saraki during the struggle for the Senate presidency last year, a demand which the legislator said he rejected.
The lawmaker also denied the allegation that he threatened to impregnate Mrs. Tinubu, arguing that such insinuation was unnecessary because Tinubu cannot be impregnated now, as she has already entered her menopause.
He said: “For reasons only known to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, when she got up at the session, the first thing she said was that she’s being harassed in this chamber by Senator Melaye. I kept quiet at that point. She went ahead to say that ‘why will he come here and be threatening senators’ and there was a large chorus from senators how, when, where. Senators reacted.
“At that point, I was still very calm; she got up again and said that ‘this thug must be tamed.’ At that point, I got up and I told her that she is very stupid. The next statement from her is that ‘you are a dog.’ She called me a dog, and when she called me a dog, I stood up and I reacted, and I told her that this is not Bourdillon and that she should look at my face, I am not one of those senators who normally come to prostrate to them in Bourdillon. And I told her I am from Kogi state, I am not from Lagos state and that there would never be a day that I will come to you for political assistance. These were my words and she went on shouting dog, thug”.