Melaye: Tinubu Called Me Dog, I Told Her She Was Stupid

Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West) yesterday explained that he was compelled to use foul language on Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) during the Senate closeddoor session on Tuesday after Tinubu described him as a dog and thug. Melaye said that he ran out of patience when Tinubu stood up and described him as a “dog” and “thug” and urging the Senate to tame him.

He admitted that he tongue-lashed Tinubu and told her: “You are stupid.” Melaye said Tinubu kept shouting “dog, thug” repeatedly. The senator made the clarification while briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday. He also insisted that nobody proposed impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari throughout the executive session.

According to him, the executive session was meant to deliberate on the forgery allegation against the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, by some of their colleagues.

He said he only stood up to talk with the intention to pacify his colleagues who had initiated suits in court on the forgery allegation to withdraw their suits. Melaye said that when he made his submission, he didn’t use offensive or uncomplimentary statement, neither did he mention anyone’s name, but only for Tinubu to suddenly stand up and allege that she was being harassed by him.

The lawmaker noted that in spite of Tinubu’s hostility towards him, he was able to exercise restraint not to reply her immediately to avoid destabilising the session that was intended to bring reconciliation to the chamber. He said that he never made any attempt to come close to the female lawmaker; neither did any senator interfere in the shouting match between them. His words: “I did not use any insolent, abusive, degrading or mannerless language…

But because of reasons only known to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, she got up and 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 (asking) how, when, where? “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 I stood up and I reacted: 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. “I want to tell you, gentlemen of the press, for every reaction there must be an action. When I got up to address my colleagues she was not the only senator there.

If I had used insolent language or foul languages, you will know the type of senators we have, they would have reacted and some of them would have even addressed you guys by now to say Dino insulted us. But because she acted in the manner she did, not one senator stood up in her defence when I was tonguelashing her.

“Even the senators from Lagos were there, Gbenga Ashafa was there, he didn’t stand up from his seat. It is not true that anybody circled her because there was no need to. I did not leave the spot where I was sitting; I didn’t get up from my seat. So, there wouldn’t have been anybody to but somehow she got falsehood sold to the media.”

He also denied the allegation that he threatened to impregnate Mrs. Tinubu, arguing that such insinuation was unnecessary, as Tinubu could not be impregnated because she had already entered into her menopause. His words: “It is fallacious, malicious and a lie that I said I will impregnate Mrs. Tinubu. Biologically it is even impossible to impregnate Mrs. Tinubu because she has arrived menopause. If you also look at that statement for those of us who are intellectually mobile, how can you say you want to beat somebody and at the same time you want to impregnate the person.

If you juxtapose the two, is there any correlation, does it make any logical sense? “I want to say that I will continue to uphold the culture, the tradition, the values of the Kogi West Senatorial District and I will not abuse it. But it is absurd for a woman to look at her colleague and call him a thug and a dog when he has not personally addressed you.

“Unfortunately, I did not have the anointing to be quiet when being insulted. I replied accordingly. I repeat there is no reaction without an action. If she did not call me a dog or a thug, there is no way I would have responded. I responded. I have no regrets for responding and defending my person and if tomorrow or in the next one hour, Senator Tinubu again called me any name I shall equally respond accordingly.”

The Kogi lawmaker said he had read a statement credited to Asiwaju Tinubu that he had come to the end of his political career, saying “Tinubu is not God” and he (Melaye) would never go to Tinubu’s house to ask for help.

“I want to say that Tinubu is no God. I fear only God almighty, I fear no soul; I only respect souls. So far, my political journey to the House of Representatives and the Senate have 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. I want to assure you that this is the true story of what transpired,” he said.

He wondered why Asiwaju Tinubu was asking him to apologise on altercation that erupted between equals. He alleged that his trouble with the Tinubus, started after they called him several times and asked him to withdraw his support for Senator Saraki during the struggle for Senate presidency last year, a demand which he rejected. Melaye also stated that his ambition is to become the president of Nigeria.

“It is not a crime to be ambitious. President Muhammadu Buhari is an ambitious person that is why he contested for the presidency four times before God answered him. I am an ambitious person; I even want to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria very soon,” he said.

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