Women wing of the All Progressive Congress, Osun State chapter yesterday
demanded that Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) be sanctioned for his
unruly behavior 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. pr2
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.
