Remi Tinubu is My Big Aunty – Dino Melaye
There was mild drama yesterday at the plenary of the Nigerian Senate as controversial Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye described his counterpart from Lagos Central, Senator Oluremi Tinubu as his “big aunty.”
In July, 2016, Tinubu and Melaye clashed during a Senate closed-door session where the Kogi Senator reportedly threatened to beat Tinubu and “rape her.”
Melaye admitted to clashing with Tinubu, but said he only hit back furiously after Tinubu called him “a thug and a dog.”
Subsequently, Tinubu petitioned the leaderships of the All Progressives Congress and the Senate over her clash with Melaye.
The petition followed an earlier letter to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in which she asked for “adequate security” for fear Melaye might kill her.
In Tinubu’s letters, separately delivered to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, she expressed worry that the Senate leadership had not taken action to address Melaye’s “threatening misconduct.”
Since the widely reported clash, there seems to be no love lost between Tinubu, Wife of the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Melaye.
But on Wednesday, Melaye apparently put the
controversial issue behind him when he described
Tinubu as her “big aunty” while seconding motion for the passage of bill sponsored by the Lagos Senator.
TheBrief reports that Tinubu had moved motion and led debate on general principles of her bill titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Labour Act CAP L1 LFN 2004 by removing the provisions that restrict employment opportunities for Women.”
Some of the restrictions as pointed out by Tinubu
include inability of Women to work at Night, give birth within a given time, work in certain
organizations among others.
However, after her debate, Melaye raised his hand for secondment of Tinubu’s motion, but senators at the plenary apparently in the know of the sour
relationship between the two senators wondered what Kogi Senators would say.
“Mr President, distinguished colleagues, I raise second the passage of the bill sponsored by my Big aunty,” Melaye said.
The bill got unanimously endorsement of the senators as it scaled through its second reading. Responding, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki
commended Tinubu for sponsoring the bill and
therefore referred it to the Senate Committee on
Labour for further legislative actions.
