Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has refrained from making a public comment over the altercation that ensued between senators Dino Melaye and Oluremi Tinubu during an executive senate session on Tuesday, July 12, 2016.
According to an APC source, the party is waiting for a formal complaint to be made to the party over the incident hence the party is adopting a “wait and see attitude” because of concerns of being seen as “taking sides”.
A member of the party’s National Working Committee who spoke on condition of anonymity to Punch, said, “It will amount to crying more than the bereaved for the party to dabble into a matter that is yet to be brought before it.”
The party source said that whatever transpires on the floor of either the senate or the house of representatives, especially during executive sessions, is covered by legislative immunity.
“There are procedures for dealing with issues of indiscipline which acts, such as what allegedly transpired between the two distinguished senators, could fall under.
“First, there has to be a formal complaint which will be sent to the disciplinary committee to look into.
“The committee will investigate and also invite the person who is accused of committing an offence. It is after we have heard from both the petitioner and the respondent and a guilty verdict is entered, that a recommendation for disciplinary action can be made to the relevant authorities.
“All these procedures have to be followed before any action can be taken.”
“As of today, to the best of my knowledge, there has not been any petition before the party.” He concluded.
An online tabloid had reported there was a fierce verbal exchange between Senator Melaye and Senator Tinubu in which Melaye threatened to beat up and impregnate Senator Tinubu.
Melaye, addressed a press conference a day after the alleged bust up and accused Tinubu of planting “Satanic lies and falsehood” in SaharaReporters. He said in his defence that Tinubu called him a thug and a dog in an unprovoked attack and he responded by calling her stupid and telling her that the senate is not her politician husband’s house.
Remi Tinubu is the wife of the co-founder of the All Progressives Congress and a former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
At his press conference, Melaye said that Bola Tinubu is not God.
