The Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Wasiu Eshilokun, on Wednesday accused the leadership of the Senate of complicity in the July 12 altercation between Senators Remi Tinubu and Dino Melaye.
Mr. Eshilokun, who led a delegation of legislators from the assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretariat in Abuja, alleged this after submitting a protest letter to the party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.
Mrs. Tinubu (APC-Lagos Central) and Mr. Melaye (APC-Kogi West) were reported to have had a disagreement during a closed-door deliberation at the red chamber.
In the events that followed the incident, Mr. Melaye addressed a news conference and denied threatening to beat up or impregnate Mrs. Tinubu, and alleged that she called him a thug and a dog.
Mr. Eshilokun said there could be altercations, disagreements and verbal attacks but that it must be with decorum.
”We are here to show our displeasure about what happened at the upper chamber. There could be verbal attack but it must be decorous,” he said.
”There could be equal and opposite reaction not abusive and negative reaction. Such a statement shouldn’t come from someone who is from the senate.
”Whenever issues arise it should be sorted out in a parliamentary manner, and we also felt that the leadership of the Senate didn’t act immediately.
‘”Issues like this should not be allowed to fester; it should be nipped in the bud. This is unbecoming of an August body.
”There was a conspiracy of silence and we felt that this is not good. If he had cautioned the senator immediately, it would not have be blown out of proportion,” he said.
Reminded that they had shirked their duties in Lagos to pursue a trivial matter, Mr. Eshilokun said, ”there were protests by concerned women group to the House of Assembly”.
He added, ”We read the letter during plenary and it was resolved that the letter be sent to the president, the senate, the party and that appropriate sanctions should be sought.
”Yesterday, we went on recess and will not resume till Aug. 29.”
He denied the online allegation trending that they were sponsored with N75 million to embark on the protest, saying, ”we are buoyant enough to sponsor ourselves.
”The N75 million trending is a mere allegation. It’s a cause that we feel that we must fight.”
He disclosed that the APC chairman assured that he would look into the matter and get it resolved. (NAN)