Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi of Ebonyi North has defended his controversial remarks against former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, during a Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions hearing on Tuesday.
The confrontation occurred during a hearing on a petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Ezekwesili attended the session with her legal counsel, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, and the chief petitioner, Zubairu Yakubu.
Tensions flared when the petitioner questioned the neutrality of committee members, alleging connections to Akpabio, which upset some lawmakers who saw it as an attempt to undermine the committee’s credibility.
Ezekwesili, in particular, came under fire for what some perceived as her forceful attempt to insert herself into the proceedings.
As Ezekwesili persisted in speaking, she asked to be placed under oath, declaring, “I am a citizen of Nigeria.” This led to a heated exchange with Nwaebonyi, who lashed out, saying, “You’re a fool. What do you mean? Why are you talking to me like that? I will not take it. You’re an insult to womanhood. People like you cannot be here.”
Ezekwesili responded by calling him a “hooligan,” which further escalated the argument until order was restored.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television Tuesday evening, Nwaebonyi insisted that Ezekwesili had provoked the altercation by calling him a hooligan and telling him to “shut up.”
He stated that his response was justified, adding, “For a mother like you, a grandmother of your age, a former minister of the Federal Republic to tell a sitting senator to shut up and call him a hooligan, that’s unacceptable.”
When asked if he regretted the incident, Nwaebonyi replied resolutely, “No, I don’t regret it. She deserves it. Is it fair for her to address me that way? As a former minister and a grandmother, she should know better.”