Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has explained why she told Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, the senator representing Ebonyi North, to “shut up” during a heated exchange at the Senate Ethics Committee hearing.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, Ezekwesili said the panel had declared the case sub judice, as it was already before the courts.
Ezekwesili explained, “The petitioner had insisted that he would not proceed with his main petition until he received assurances regarding the two objections he had raised.
“However, the panel interpreted this stance as a sign that we were not ready to engage in the matter.”
She added that while discussions were ongoing, the committee suddenly ruled that the case could not proceed because of two related lawsuits in court, including one filed by the wife of the Senate President.
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“At that point, Dr Abiola questioned the very basis for convening the jury. While all of this was unfolding, a certain senator—whom I will not acknowledge by name—spoke up (referring to Nwaebonyi).
“He declared that since we were unwilling to provide any testimony, he was present as a representative of the Senate President, who was the respondent, and that he was prepared to speak because, in his view, we could not continue in this manner,” Ezekwesili said.
She said she found his stance hypocritical, as the panel had just ruled that they were not allowed to speak.
“In response, I said to him, ‘Can you please shut up?’ because we had just been informed that we were not allowed to speak, yet he was doing so freely without any form of equivalent treatment,” she explained.
Ezekwesili noted that Nwaebonyi was already agitated before she made the remark.
“He was already provoked. His anger stemmed from the belief that we were not taking the matter seriously,” she added.
The former minister also criticised the senator’s reaction, calling it an example of the “indecorous behavior” displayed by some public officials in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Nwaebonyi has accused Ezekwesili of first calling him a “hooligan” before telling him to “shut up.” However, despite the confrontation, the deputy chief whip said he has no regrets about the incident and still respects Ezekwesili as a woman.
Recall Tribune Online reports that the altercation occurred on Tuesday during the panel’s review of a fresh petition submitted by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator representing Kogi Central.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE