By Adesina Soyooye
The image of the Nigerian Senate sank real deep into the gutter when a Senator of the Federal Republic, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, used gutter language in response to what he saw as an unbecoming attack on him by a former Minister of Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili.
Senator Nwaebonyi, APC, Ebonyi North, a first timer, but who occupies the office of the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, used choice words on Ezekwesili, including dubbing her mouth “smelly”, telling her she is an insult to womanhood, and calling her a fool at 70.
The ugly and disturbing scene unfolded on Tuesday during a Senate Committee hearing on the se3ual harassment allegation leveled against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, currently on a six- month suspension from the Senate.
Ezekwesili had come as an observer and in solidarity with Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan while Nwaebonyi was there as a witness for Akpabio.
Trouble started when Ezekwesili, while trying to speak, but was continously distracted by interjection asked Senator Nwaebonyi to “shut up.” Apparently taken aback, and feeling insulted, Nwaebonyi hit the roof, and did what, given his status and office, he should not have done. Both sides exchanged insults. But Nwaebonyi had the upper hand when he descended on Ezekwesili with a number of unprintable, choice words.
Ezekwesili responded by calling him a hooligan.
While not a few people were shocked at such unbecoming attack by the Senator, he responded on Wednesday by saying that his action stemmed from Ezekwesili’s disrespect of him.
As a Senator, he said that by “social stratification”, he holds a higher status than Ezekwesili. He described himself as a “global figure”, having previously chaired a program organized by the World Bank in Nigeria. For the records, however, Ezekwesili was a Vice President of the World Bank.
The Senator: “She disrespected me. Respect is reciprocal. She called me a hooligan and a disgrace. Her actions were disrespectful and uncalled for. I am a Senator of the Federal Republic. By social traffic, I am higher than her. She was a Minister, but a Senator is bigger than a Minister. She is supposed to respect me.”
However, speaking in an interview with Arise Television, Senator Nwaebonyi admitted that the words he used on Ezekwesili were inappropriate, especially, given Ezekwesili’s age.
His words: “I regret my choice of words to her because she’s old enough to be my mother. But, like I said, it is her action that brought up my reaction. But having admitted publicly that she said so (asked him to shut up), I give it to her.
“She has no right to talk to me in that way, for me to shut up my mouth. It means that she’s not mature. She got to her level by accident, and I maintain my stand. She has admitted publicly, and having done so, I commend her.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since apologized to Ezekwesili. “I am sorry. You took the insult because of me.”
Senator Nwaebonyi is 43 years old.
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