Senator Tinubu’s ‘Sins’

By James Orji

Senator Oluemi Tinubu, the wife of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, All Progressives Congress National Leader has not stopped trending for the wrong reasons since she became a member of the National Assembly in 2015. But those that have watched her trajectory after becoming a senator had thought that she will carry herself as a distinguished senator of the federal republic. They were wrong.

That expectation has now become a mirage after she was caught up in a brawl with another woman at the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution in Lagos this week.

The Senator who heads the south west committee was seen in a viral video abusing Arinola Oloko, a teacher who had come to make contributions at the Marriot Hotel, Lagos on Thursday, the venue of the meeting.

Trouble started when Oloko was prevented by security operatives from entering the venue, which according to the organizer has already been packed by Nigerians who wanted to make presentation before the committee.

It was her protest that drew the attention of Senator Tinubu, who rather than doused the tension, called the angry woman a thug. She later threatened to throw Oloko out from the venue when other people intervened, asking Senator Tinubu who represent Lagos Central in the Senate to apologise to the woman in which she retorted “I will not apologise for what I said. I saw it and I said it,” abusing Oloko for being ‘rude’ to her.

Many Nigerians have reacted to the issue, describing the action of the former First Lady of Lagos state, as unbecoming of an elected public official.

Aisha Yesufu, a rights activist said Senator Tinubu must come down from her high horse if she truly wants to serve the people. According to her “It’s so much disgusting arrogance from a senator who is an elected official to speak to citizens in that manner and this is not the first time Remi Tinubu is doing this. She looks down on people.

“I’m sure she is used to people who come to her, rolling on the floor and she thinks everybody will bow before her family. That is why she keeps on carrying this arrogance around,” Yesufu said.

The senator has denied calling Oloko a ‘thug’, insisting that she was only trying to set the record straight.

Explaining her side of the story, Senator Tinubu said, “It was the noise I heard and as somebody concerned, I went there, that they will be a bit respectful when they see that they put my name as chair and I came out to see them.

“At least, we will be able to talk and dialogue. I didn’t know that it will turn into a noisy field and people will start screaming. I looked at them and I saw a woman. I will tell you, most of the works I’ve done have been supported by women.

“I understand women more than men despite the men I work with and even the men I work with, I respect them when I have to respect them but in this particular incident, I looked at the man, he was angry, possibly he could have waited for a long time.

“I didn’t know who registered, I wasn’t on the registration desk but I looked at the woman screaming and I said I can talk to a woman.

“I said, let me talk to you outside where everybody is, I’ve had COVID and I don’t think I want to be in a cramped place to want to be speaking. And I said, let’s go outside so that I can hear you and hear your complaint.”

“Then, she kept screaming and I said what is going on, are you a thug? I am not going to take that. Are you a thug? Am I talking to a thug? Then her eyes were popping and popping. She is younger than I am, why would I call her a thug outrightly?” Tinubu said.

Notwithstanding, many who have responded to the issue said the senator has become popular for the wrong reasons because it was not her first time of verbally attacking other Nigerians.

On April 28, during the Senate debate on the insecurity in the country, Senator Smart Adeyemi from Kogi state, did not bargain for what he got after Senator Tinubu accused him of working for the opposition People Democratic Party, PDP, after her colleagues said President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to rein in the spate of killings across the country.

“Are you in PDP? Are you a wolf in sheep’s clothing?,” Mrs Tinubu said rebuking the lawmaker, Tinubu said after Adeyemi said “This is the worst instability we are facing. In fact, this is worse than the civil war.”

Another incident involving Tinubu occurred in June 13, 2016 when another Senator Dino Melaye threatened to beat her up and “impregnate you and nothing will happen, “after the two lawmakers disagreed during a debate in the Senate, whether to probe former Senate President Bukola Saraki for forgery.

Even though Melaye received knocks from many Nigerians for trying to beat Mrs Tinubu, others also blamed the Lagos former First Lady for always antagonizing the former Senate President because of the way the latter emerged as the nation’s number three citizen.

Saraki did not get the support of Asiwaju Tinubu and other APC stalwarts to emerge as Senate President, a situation analysts say did not go down well with the former First Lady, who was also denied the chairmanship of a juicy committee as a punishment for her husband’s action.

Meanwhile, analysts familiar with Lagos politics informed the magazine that Senator Tinubu was one of the reasons why Akinwumi Ambode, the immediate past Governor of the state did not get a second term in office, because according to sources, Senator Tinubu accused the former governor of not giving her the respect she deserved as wife of the godfather of Lagos politics, Asiwaju Tinubu.

Everything was going on well for the former helmsman before Tinubu suddenly withdrew his support and threw his weight behind the incumbent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.