The All Progressives Congress member representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, addressing journalists in Abuja, Thursday.
Sunday Aborisade, Olufemi Atoyebi, Femi Makinde and Toluwani Eniola
The All Progressives Congress member representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, on Thursday said he called Senator Oluremi Tinubu a stupid woman on the floor of the Senate during an executive session because she also referred to him as a dog and a thug.
Melaye, who addressed parliamentary reporters in the National Assembly, however, denied using vulgar words against Oluremi, the wife of the leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu.
He vowed not to apologise to Tinubu for allegedly assaulting his wife even as he said that the APC leader could not determine his future political career because the politician was not God.
Melaye said, “…I did not use any insolent, abusive, degrading or mannerless language. So, there was no reaction from any of our colleagues as regards my presentation. After I spoke, so many other senators spoke and I did not mention the name of any senator while I was making my presentation.
“Unfortunately, Senator Oluremi Tinubu got up and for reasons only known to her, the first thing she said was that she’s being harassed in this chamber by Senator Melaye.
“I kept quiet at that point. …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.
“ 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 that for every action there must be a reaction. When I got up to address my colleagues she was not the only senator there.”
Melaye also denied ever saying he would impregnate Mrs. Tinubu.
He said, “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 reached 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? So, when they planted this falsehood they did not think deeply.”
He also said though he read in the newspaper that the APC leader was demanding an apology from him for abusing his wife, he would not do so now.
“I read from the social media that Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu through his media aide is asking me to apologise. I will not believe that a man of his calibre will ask for apology without hearing from both parties.
“However, when I get confirmation that Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu actually is the one asking me to apologise, I will also address him accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the South-West zone of the APC has warned Melaye to stay away from the zone for threatening to beat Mrs. Tinubu.
In a statement signed by the Zonal National Secretary, APC South-West, Ayo Afolabi, on Thursday, the party described Melaye as an example of ‘vagabond in power’, saying, however, that it was not surprised by Melaye’s conduct towards a woman because he never had a successful marriage.
“Meanwhile Senator Melaye should regard the South West Zone as a no-go area if he refused to tender a public apology and desist from such unruly behaviours on any colleague from any party of this country in the future. A word is enough for the wise.”
The party also called on the Inspector General of Police to take note of Melaye’s threat to kill anybody that testified against the accused persons in the Senate forgery case.
Also, women in the Osun State chapter of the APC have condemned the alleged assault of Mrs. Tinubu by Melaye. (Punch)
