The faceoff between Senator Oluremi Tinubu
and Senator Dino Melaye again exposed the
underbelly of Nigeria’s upper legislative
chamber as one lacking in internal cohesion.
Both senators belong to the ruling All
Progressives Congress APC. Tinubu represents
Lagos Central, while Melaye is of Kogi West.
At an executive session of the Senate, the two
lawmakers engaged in a verbal altercation
over the alleged forgery of the Senate’s
Standing Rules. Angry outbursts between them
degenerated into threats, both on the floor of
the hallowed chamber and beyond.
Senator Tinubu later wrote a petition to the
Inspector General of Police, seeking protection
over alleged threat to life. She equally
reported the incident to the Senate President,
Senator Bukola Saraki. Senator Melaye vowed
not to apologise to the Tinubu’s, particularly
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who took umbrage at the
vituperation against his wife.
This episode predictably caused quite a stir in
the public sphere, with groups demonstrating
support for or against both senators. It
created talking points in the media and kept
the Internet abuzz for over a week, particularly
given the enduring penchant of both senators
to be at the forefront of power struggles.
It is obvious that the Melaye versus Tinubu
feud is an offshoot of the struggle for the
control of the leadership of the Senate which
started on June 9, 2015 when Saraki and
People’s Democratic Party, (PDP)’s Senator
Ike Ekweremadu upset the APC leaders’ plans
to install their preferred candidates as the
leaders of the Senate and the House of
Representatives. Melaye and Remi Tinubu
have remained at the frontline of the clashes.
We are dismayed at the tendency of our
lawmakers to place more emphasis on power
struggle and the tussle for personal
aggrandisement at the expense of performing
the job for which they canvassed for the
people’s mandate. Each time there is a fight in
the Legislature, especially the National
Assembly, it is invariably over power and
money. Little is heard about ideological
quarrels or contentions for good governance.
The Federal Government has recently declared
that our economy has slid into recession. We
expect well-meaning lawmakers to place
hands on deck in the search for avenues to
revitalise and diversify the economy. That is
the item which is uppermost in the national
interest at the moment. Instead, our
lawmakers are chasing rats while the house is
on fire.
We urge our legislators to learn how to
respect the views of their colleagues. Even
when they disagree, they should do so in a
civilised manner. Leaders must be role models
in speech and comportment. The children are
also watching.
Leaders cannot expect the public to behave
well when they themselves are always
behaving like hoodlums.
Vanguard
and Senator Dino Melaye again exposed the
underbelly of Nigeria’s upper legislative
chamber as one lacking in internal cohesion.
Both senators belong to the ruling All
Progressives Congress APC. Tinubu represents
Lagos Central, while Melaye is of Kogi West.
At an executive session of the Senate, the two
lawmakers engaged in a verbal altercation
over the alleged forgery of the Senate’s
Standing Rules. Angry outbursts between them
degenerated into threats, both on the floor of
the hallowed chamber and beyond.
Senator Tinubu later wrote a petition to the
Inspector General of Police, seeking protection
over alleged threat to life. She equally
reported the incident to the Senate President,
Senator Bukola Saraki. Senator Melaye vowed
not to apologise to the Tinubu’s, particularly
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who took umbrage at the
vituperation against his wife.
This episode predictably caused quite a stir in
the public sphere, with groups demonstrating
support for or against both senators. It
created talking points in the media and kept
the Internet abuzz for over a week, particularly
given the enduring penchant of both senators
to be at the forefront of power struggles.
It is obvious that the Melaye versus Tinubu
feud is an offshoot of the struggle for the
control of the leadership of the Senate which
started on June 9, 2015 when Saraki and
People’s Democratic Party, (PDP)’s Senator
Ike Ekweremadu upset the APC leaders’ plans
to install their preferred candidates as the
leaders of the Senate and the House of
Representatives. Melaye and Remi Tinubu
have remained at the frontline of the clashes.
We are dismayed at the tendency of our
lawmakers to place more emphasis on power
struggle and the tussle for personal
aggrandisement at the expense of performing
the job for which they canvassed for the
people’s mandate. Each time there is a fight in
the Legislature, especially the National
Assembly, it is invariably over power and
money. Little is heard about ideological
quarrels or contentions for good governance.
The Federal Government has recently declared
that our economy has slid into recession. We
expect well-meaning lawmakers to place
hands on deck in the search for avenues to
revitalise and diversify the economy. That is
the item which is uppermost in the national
interest at the moment. Instead, our
lawmakers are chasing rats while the house is
on fire.
We urge our legislators to learn how to
respect the views of their colleagues. Even
when they disagree, they should do so in a
civilised manner. Leaders must be role models
in speech and comportment. The children are
also watching.
Leaders cannot expect the public to behave
well when they themselves are always
behaving like hoodlums.
Vanguard
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