Lagos APC, senators knock Melaye for attacking Tinubu

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has berated the lawmaker representing Kogi-West senatorial district, Senator Dino Melaye, for allegedly threatening to attack Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu.

Also, two senators from Lagos State,  Olugbenga Ashafa and Solomon Adeola on Wednesday, condemned the alleged verbal assault on their colleague, Oluremi Tinubu, by  Melaye, during an executive session within the Senate chamber on Tuesday.

Melaye was said to have annoyed the senator by allegedly using unparliamentary languages on her during a heated debate at the closed session. Melaye, who denied the allegations, was said to have threatened to beat up his Lagos counterpart during a closed session at the Senate on Tuesday.

However, the APC said in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, that if it was true that Melaye issued the threat, then he needed mental check-up.

The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a reckless and unguided statement credited to one Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi State who said he would beat up our own distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing Lagos Central and that nothing will happen.

“We take it that this is a slip of tongue but if it is indeed true that this statement came from the heart of Dino Melaye, we need a psychiatric doctor to examine the state of his mind.

“Senator Dino Melaye has been in the news in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the wrong reasons. His actions and deeds in recent times have contributed in no uncertain terms to various setbacks we have witnessed in the 8th Senate since its inception on June 9 2015.”

The party said Melaye was a disgrace to the Senate as his utterances had often taken the shine off the hallowed chambers.

The Lagos APC warned the Kogi senator to immediately issue a public apology to Tinubu’s wife.

The statement added, “The hallowed chamber of the Senate of the federal republic of Nigeria is a prestigious place for the serious-minded, cerebral men and women, men and women of honour and integrity, those who can hold their heads when others are losing theirs, experienced but humble men and women. It is not for lunatics, rascals, street urchins, ethically challenged bigots or integrity challenged charlatans.

“It seems to us in the Lagos APC that Senator Dino Melaye has reached a point of diminishing returns. The funny man from Kogi State has reached a point where there is no other place to go but to go down irretrievably. He can only go down with his likes and not with our own Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the highly revered, honoured and distinguished wife of our National leader, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Lagos APC wants Dino Melaye to move quickly to apologise to Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her beloved husband Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and have the statement credited to him withdrawn without any further delay.”

Also, Ashafa and Adeola in a statement jointly signed by them in Abuja condemned the alleged “use of any vulgar and un-senatorial language” on their female colleagues.

The statement partly read, “We the two senators representing Lagos East and Lagos West having reviewed the recent happenings in the hallowed Chamber of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly at the executive session of 12th July, 2016.

“The session dwelt on the running of the Senate and now in the public domain without any denial from the affected parties, we feel compelled to state as follows:

“That we deplore in very strong terms the use of abusive, threatening, uncouth, vulgar and un-parliamentary language by any senator against any other senator, particularly our female colleagues.

“As distinguished members of the Red Chamber, we are strongly in favour of resolving any conflict that has arisen in the course of our representation and national duty through dialogue and due process.

“We will not be part of any solution obtained through any form of coercion, threat, intimidation and ungentlemanly conduct of the distinguished office of a senator.

“We dissociate ourselves from the comments and behaviour of Senator Dino Melaye (APC – Kogi West) at the Executive Session of 12th July, 2016 as we represent our people known for finer character and noble culture of social interaction.

“We equally state that we will be part of efforts to instill and enshrine decorum and gentlemanly conduct associated with the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While condemning the use of any vulgar and un-senatorial language in all ramifications, we particularly take offence to the use of such abusive and denigrating words against the person of distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC- Lagos Central); as such words greatly demeaned the female gender and the hallowed chamber of the Senate.

“Finally, pursuant to the threat of physical abuse against Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC- Lagos Central) by Senator Dino Melaye (APC- Kogi West), we state that we are not lily-livered and cannot be intimidated or deterred from our primary assignment of representing the good people of Lagos State and carrying out our national duties of law making, even if it entails testifying in court on the side of the truth as part of the resolution of any conflict in the upper chamber.”