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    Remi Tinubu Assaults Woman, Calls Her ‘Thug’ During Constitution Review Hearing

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    May 27, 2021

    The Senator representing Lagos Central, Remi Tinubu, was on Wednesday again involved in an altercation with some Nigerians who attended the South-West zonal public hearing of the constitution review. 

     

    The event was held at Marriott Hotel in Lagos, with residents queuing to register before they were allowed entry into the hall.


    It was gathered that some of those in the queue were later informed that registration had closed for the day.

     

    But few minutes later, some lawmakers from Oyo state passed the queue and were about to be ushered in, leading to commotion at the front entrance.

     

    As the shouts continued near the front door, with those in the queue insisting that they had been unfairly treated, the Oyo lawmakers were about to be hurriedly ushered through the backdoor, but the people followed them, preventing them from being allowed into the hall.

     

    However, after some consultation with the personnel at the door, Tinubu showed up at the backdoor to allow the lawmakers in.

     

    As she was about to do this, a woman, who complained about being denied entry, decried the partial treatment and voiced out her frustration.

     

    Seeing this, the senator beckoned on her and two others, only to call the woman a “thug” for speaking too loud.

     

    “We don’t want thugs here,” the former Lagos State First Lady said.

     

    The statement made by Tinubu however infuriated those in the queue, who insisted that such a derogatory word shouldn’t have come from the senator.

     

    The senator was asked to apologise but she refused.

     

    “I will not apologise for what I said. I saw it and I said it,” she maintained.

    WATCH: Remi Tinubu Assaults Woman, Calls Her ‘Thug’ For Speaking Up At Location Of Constitution Review Hearing@AsiwajuTinubu @OfficialAPCNg pic.twitter.com/5ySmdEcWPb

    — Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 26, 2021

    This is however not the first time the ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God would be involved in a controversy since becoming a Senator in 2011.

     

    She recently tackled her colleague, Smart Adeyemi, who raised pertinent questions about the growing insecurity in the country.

     

    Adeyemi had during a plenary session said that Nigeria was facing the worst instability since the civil war.

     

    “This is the worst instability we are facing. In fact, this is worse than the civil war,” he had said.

     

    But Tinubu interrupting him, had asked, “Are you in PDP (Peoples Democratic Party)? Are you a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

     

    Adeyemi, however, ignored her comments and continued, “We cannot pretend that we are capable of handling the situation in our hands. America, as powerful as they are, when the pandemic came, it came to a point China came to their rescue.

     

    “We shouldn’t pretend that we need foreign support now. Billions of naira have been voted for security services and nothing is coming out of it. I’m a party man and I’m supporting APC but it has gotten to a point that as supporters we cannot keep quiet.”

     

    In 2015, Tinubu also raised a storm at the Senate when she sat on the chair meant for Ike Ekweremadu, the then Deputy Senate President.

     

    The former Lagos State First Lady, who wanted to second a motion on the approval of the Lagos state development policy operation loan, earned the rebuke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators, when she stood up to speak while standing in the Deputy Senate President’s corner.

     

    In July 2016, there was an altercation between Tinubu and Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi state which saw both lawmakers calling each other names and charging at each other.

     

    According to reports, those who witnessed the incident, which occurred during a closed-door meeting held by the senators, said trouble started when Melaye urged the Senate to descend heavily on members who had offered to serve as prosecution witnesses in the ongoing forgery case against the then Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ekweremadu.

     

    “You should go and tell those who sent you that nobody, I said nobody, no matter who he is, can ever control this Senate,” Melaye was quoted as saying as he pointed at the affected senators, his face contorted in rage.

     

    But when Tinubu was recognised to speak, she rose, and said, “I’m just wondering why whenever Senator Dino speaks in this chamber, he is always threatening people and behaving childishly and at times like a thug.

     

    “I think he needs to know that every senator here represents their constituencies. And that there is no need to threaten anyone.

     

    “We are seeking and working towards reconciliation, yet you are busy issuing threats.”

     

    In July 2019, Tinubu also had an open confrontation with another colleague of hers, Elisha Ishaku Abbo from Adamawa state.

     

    Abbo, who was caught on camera assaulting a woman in an Abuja sex toy shop, had appeared before a Senate committee set up to investigate the incident.

     

    The Adamawa senator said he had refused to allow journalists to interview him over the matter, and did not understand why he came in for the hearing to be “ambushed” by journalists. 

     

    Insisting that the hearing be done privately, Abbo had said, “I am not addressing the camera, I am not addressing the press.”

     

    Before being allowed to explain this, Tinubu told Abbo he was new in the Senate and could not tell the committee how to handle the hearing. 

     

    “You are just joining us. We have a procedure and we are also under law. What we are doing, we are doing as a legislature. You don’t come in here when we invite you, despite you being our colleague, you are on the other side now,” she had said.

     

    “Everybody requires a fair hearing, what is going on with you affects us as a body. You don’t come in here and dictate to us the procedure we are supposed to adopt. You don’t dictate to us, because you undermine us by even trying to do that. 

     

    You haven’t even listened to us, even if we are going beyond what you expect, you can stop us. 

     

    “Do you want us to protect you, or do you want us to defend you, or you want to be on your own? Do you realise that the Senate when we constitute this, whatever the law gives, we can also suspend you?”

     

    Interrupting Tinubu with a protest, Abbo said the senator should not threaten him with suspension.  

     

    “Are you threatening me with suspension?” he asked. 

     

    “I am a senator like you, I won’t sit here and you threaten me with suspension. With all due respect, you cannot threaten me with suspension, I take exception, ma’am.”

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    Original Author

    Saharareporters, New York

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