Women wing of the All Progressive Congress, Osun Statechapter yesterday demanded that Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) be sanctioned for his unruly behaviour at the Senate’s Executive Session.
The group made its displeasure known to the public in a press statement signed by the Women Leader in the state, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde, Read the brief in full: “Our attention has been drawn to the widely reported attack on Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District of Lagos State by Dino Melaye, the senator misrepresenting Kogi West District.
Even though the direct victim of the primitive attack of Senator Melaye was Senator Tinubu, a fellow woman and leader of our party, we women of the APC in Osun, consider the attack as a collective attack on women in Nigeria.
It is lamentable that a senator could reduce our Senate to a platform of abuse, physical and verbal assault, sexual harassment of a woman and consequently against the people whose interests he ought to protect.
Senator Melaye’s attack and threat to beat up Senator Tinubu and impregnate her, were uncouth, indecent, demeaning, humiliating, sexist and criminal.
It is a clear violation of the law which the same Senate passed in 2015, to protect our people.
The provisions of the Violence Against Persons Act of 2015 are so clear that no woman and decent people would allow the heresy of Senator Dino Melaye to go unchallenged.
In sections 4, 5, 14, 18 of the law quoted above, acts of verbal abuse and sexual threats are taken as attacks which must be prevented against any Nigerian especially women. In section 14, the law states, “a person who causes emotional, verbal and psychological abuse on another commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment” Senator Melaye’s attack on Mrs Tinubu is a disgrace to the Senate and a tar on the image of Nigeria women as it portrays women as mere object of sexual pleasure and an anatomical symbol.
We demand that a public apology be tendered not only to Senator Tinubu but to all Nigerian women by Senator Melaye and the Senate President who allowed the attack on the Nigerian Women to pass without sanctioning Senator Dino on it.
In the least, Dino Melaye must be suspended forthwith preparatory to his expulsion. A criminal indictment and prosecution on this matter must follow immediately.
