Opinion: Dino Melaye and crises of relevance
Editor’s note: On Tuesday, July 12, Senator Oluremi Tinubu representing Lagos Central senatorial district had accused Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi West senatorial district, of assaulting her verbally during an executive session of the Senate. Melaye, who denied the allegation, had also made counter-claims that the female lawmaker also assaulted him verbally. Olumuyiwa Wahab Jimoh, has written his thoughts on the matter.
When show boating bothers on the absurd, when the elements of ideals becomes absent from discourses, when reason flees and intellectual engagements leaves us, what is normally left becomes opportunities for banalities and vulgarism and men deprived of creative contributions to social engagements unleashes their rather beastly and basal instincts upon hallowed grounds. In the process, the air becomes polluted; seriously contaminated leaving confusion in its wake – a totally hollow ritual without purpose and without essence filled with the sounds and fury of an empty mind.
There is clearly a limit to grandstanding. The Honourable Senator of the federal republic Dino, we are sure well understands that there is a limit to which one can deploy the instrument of grandstanding as a cover to his intellectual inadequacy and deep moral imperfections. There is a limit which sane societies and sane men condone the excesses of rabid unfeeling personae. There are moral boundaries that are expected not to be breached no matter the angst and machismo that we intend to demonstrate.
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Statements like; “I will beat you and nothing can happen… I will impregnate you” in every sense and in every perception definitely belongs to the lesser pedestals trodden by the uncouth and the ill-tempered! That the honourable senator used such foul language in the hallowed chambers of the Senate desecrates that assembly of honourable men and women. It leaves a stench that stinks to high heavens and besmirches that institution of democracy which requires a level of candour by all its occupants in other to wield the high level of morality necessary for effectively and efficiently delivering democracy dividends to ordinary Nigerians.
I truly think that he has not exhibited the level headedness and maturity which is required of a senator of the federal republic. This is a key prerequisite for impactful performance in the Senate. We operate a bicameral legislature that allows the Senate to be populated by men of unusual mien, deep thinkers and equanimity not given to frivolities, hormonal instincts and shallow responses to serious national issues. Anyone who behaves contrarily as the honourable senator has exhibited becomes unfit to wear the toga of a senator and should be exorcised like an evil spirit before it wreaks havoc on the honourable members of the senate.
When an honourable senator behaves in the manner which Dino has portrayed himself by the use of the most vulgar and profane language to demonstrate his Phallic prowess – a basal instinct, sane and principled men begin to raise the question of his continued qualification to remain in this hallowed chambers. Such member having made himself a stranger to the ideals of the chambers, strips himself of the moral right to continue occupying the seat in the hallowed chambers. The need for opening the windows, throwing the vents open and spraying refreshing deodorant to wipe out the odour which such perfidious individual has left behind become very necessary.
We think that in saner societies, the senator would have excused himself from the senate as he has made his position inchoate and tenuous with the dictates of the body of senators. He has become out of sync with the nuances and spirit of the Legislature and should decently throw in the towel just like a tired boxer does when mercilessly beaten in the ring or tired out in a boxing contest. Dino should please just do the Senate a favour and spare it of the ridicule which his attitude is currently subjecting it to.
Indeed, as a fellow legislator though I belong to a lower rung, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to be associated with this foul talking and women bashing person. I feel sullied and polluted being identified with a man who threatened a woman with violence and all Legislators should be alarmed at such vitriol by one of our kind using the legislative platform as a cover to demean and denigrate womanhood. I strongly feel that we should all arise in condemnation and speak up against this perfidious outrage.
Really, I believe that it is not just an abuse of the honourable Senator Oluremi Tinubu who is a senior and older colleague of Dino but it is a violation of the moral code that binds honourable men and women together; a huge abnegation of womanhood and a desecration; a trampling on the ethics and forces that hold our great party and the Senate together. It suggests disrespect for his colleagues and makes himself a present threat and danger to every other member of the hallowed chamber; a sword of Damocles and a dangerous spectre in the senate.
It is this danger that hangs over the Senate that in turn translates into a danger for the nation’s democracy. If members of the Senate can no longer freely engage in sane and responsible discourse based on their convictions because they fear for their lives then, legislative outcomes become compromised undermining our democratic practices. Dino represents this danger and is indeed a little leaven in the hallowed chamber and a poison in the Senate’s Chalice.
READ ALSO: Dino Melaye: He who has no sin, let him cast the first stone
Our great party must rise in anger over his utterances and behaviour to wield the stick to rein him in before he contaminates us all and tar the party with his foul vomit. We must spew him out of our mouth before he hurts the party. I urge all Nigerian women and all civil society platforms to rise in defence of womanhood and democracy that is under threat by the senator. Every Nigerian should consider this a patriotic duty to stand as one against this pall of darkness from the heart of Dino that seems to overshadow our nation.
The Security agencies must not hide under the cover of legislative immunity to avoid intervening in this matter to call this abuser to account for his threat against a fellow legislator. He has a strong and unfortunate history of violence against various women and this should not be allowed to repeat itself especially where the integrity of the Senate is concerned. This mockery of the 8th Senate must be stopped. Dino must be stopped before it becomes a fiasco!
Honourable Olumuyiwa Wahab Jimoh is the Deputy Majority Leader Representing Apapa constituency 2.
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