• Seeks disciplinary action against Melaye
From Fred Itua, Abuja
The face-off between Senators Dino Melaye and Oluremi Tinubu, yesterday, hit a new low, as the Senator representing Lagos Central petitioned the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki.
In the letter, Mrs Tinubu called on Odigie-Oyegun to take necessary action against Melaye to serve as deterrent to other ranking members of the party.
“I am both a ranking Senator and a woman. But Senator Melaye took neither into consideration as he issued threats of rape and assault, whiIe boasting that he would face no consequence even if he fulfilled these criminal threats.
“Compounding the damage inflicted by Senator Dino Melaye is the fact that we are both of the APC. Thus, I am compeIled to report this incident. It also gives me great concern that the Senate Ieadership has heretofore been silent on this matter as if condoning the errant behavior of the Senator.
“Through this Ietter, I officially inform the Party about the improper behaviour of Senator MeIaye and ask the Party to investigate this matter in order to restore the public image and moral Standing of the Party and of APC members in the Senate.
“In this manner, we show that we reject the misconduct that has wronged our nation and its people for so Iong. Only if we act against such excesses will the people truly believe we are committed to the reforms we have promised them. We must start by ensuring that our own members know how to behave, according the decorum befitting their elected positions.”
In her letter addressed to Saraki, Mrs Tinubu accused the Senate leadership of keeping a loud silence over the alleged misconduct which occurred on July 12, at an Executive Session of the Senate.
“l note that a week has passed since the indecorous eruption by Senator Melaye. However, the Senate leadership has been silent and has not reacted to the threatening misconduct of Senator Melaye,” Senator Tinubu noted in her letter.
She spoke further: “In an attempt to preserve the dignity of the Senate, I have refrained from saying anything in public outside of the Executive Chamber about this incident.
“However, Senator Dino has become unmoored and has since paraded his misconduct in public as if to threaten a female senator is a badge of pride. lt is a sad day for Nigeria if such misconduct is to be condoned and smiled upon.
“Consequently, I submit this letter to formally record my obiections to Senator Melaye’s untoward misconduct and to ask the Senate Leadership to recognize the gravity of the Situation and take appropriate action.”
Mrs Tinubu, on Monday, wrote a similar letter to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), asking for security, while alleging that her life was being threatened by Senator Melaye.
… Mrs. Tinubu releases N75m for anti-Melaye, group alleges
From fred itua, Abuja
A civil rights movement, Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights (CDWR), has alleged that Senator Remi Tinubu has concluded plans to sponsor a mass protest against Senator Dino Melaye.
The rights group, in a statement signed by its National President, Prof. Taibat Majekodunmi, alleged that Mrs. Tinubu had released N75 million to Lagos State APC Women Leader, Mrs. Kemi Nelson, for the exercise billed to hold in Abuja.
Professor Majekodunmi, in the statement, said part of the money, which she noted, came to Mrs Nelson, through one of her sisters simply identified as Funlola, had been used in booking 300 hotel rooms ahead of the event tomorrow.
“We have it on good authority that N75 million has been released by Senator Oluremi Tinubu to Mrs. Kemi Nelson through Mrs. Tinubu’s sister called Funlola. The money is to organise a protest in Abuja on Wednesday against the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Dino Melaye, with 1,000 protesters from Lagos.
“The protesters have booked for 300 rooms in some hotels in Abuja. Why did she not organise a protest against the hardship of Nigerian women and widows. As we speak, Alade Market in Ogba area of Lagos has been destroyed and all the women rendered shopless. Oluremi Tinubu did not organise protest about that.
“Against the provisions of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kemi Nelson doubles as the State APC Women leader in Lagos and also the zonal women leader of APC in the South West. This will show her greediness and why the Tinubu dynasty has taken over Lagos.
“Women were killed in Kano and Abuja and Mrs. Tinubu is the chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs. She did not organise protest over these killings. Mrs. Tinubu has not protested against the skyrocketing price of tomatoes in the market. In the same vein, kerosene is now over N200 per litre and she didn’t organised any protest to that effect.
“Instead, she has taken advantage of the prevailing poverty in the land to hire hungry women in the land to partake in an unproductive protest against Dino Melaye. Women like Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Hajiya Gambo Sawaba, Sarah Jubril, fought for the women race without attacking any man. Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu should emulate the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandhi, Benazir Bhutto and our own dear Dora Akunyili.
“You can imagine what N75 million will do in the lives of widows and hungry Nigerian women. We dare Mrs. Tinubu to go ahead with her planned N75 million protest in Abuja. We will also mobilise Nigerian women against this ostentatious display of wealth while the average Nigerian women wallow in abject poverty.”
Meanwhile, there are indications that fresh efforts by the Senate leadership to reconcile the two feuding lawmakers, may have hit a brick wall, as Senator Melaye has allegedly refused to tender an apology to Mrs Tinubu.
Senator Melaye who represents Kogi West Senatorial district, reportedly vowed not to apologise to Senator Tinubu, even when he was asked to do so by some lawmakers.
On Monday, Senator Tinubu petitioned the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), asking for protection against Melaye.
In the meantime, Benue State Chairman of the ruling APC, Comrade Abba Yaro has lampooned Senator Dino Melaye for his outburst against Senator Tinubu on the floor of the Senate.
Yaro, in a chat with newsmen in Makurdi yesterday, noted that an insult against the wife of the party’s national leader was an insult against the party and harped on the need for the party to introduce thorough psychiatric screening on all aspirants contesting on its platform in future elections.
Speaking on the reported clash between Senators Melaye and Tinubu during an executive session of the Senate last week, Yaro maintained that the psychiatric test was important to forestall reckless behaviour of members who after winning election on the party’s platform, turned against the party and its leaders.
The state party leader called on Senator Melaye to publicly apologise to the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu and his wife, Remi for his unruly behaviour and uncouth language against her.
“Melaye has to apologise to our national leader and his wife because his action against Senator Tinubu who is his colleague and from same party clearly showed that he lacked discipline and I call on the national leadership of our party to evoke disciplinary action against him.”