“She called me a hooligan” – Senator Nwaebonyi speaks on clash with Ezekwesili at senate hearing

Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, has addressed the heated exchange between him and former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, during a Senate Ethics Committee hearing in Abuja.

The confrontation occurred on Tuesday as the committee investigated allegations of sexual harassment involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

During the proceedings, tensions escalated when Nwaebonyi and Ezekwesili traded verbal insults. .

The senator referred to Ezekwesili as an “insult to womanhood” and a “hooligan,” after she allegedly told him to “shut up” and called him the same name.

Speaking on Channels Television, Nwaebonyi defended his actions, stating that Ezekwesili provoked him first.

His words: “It started when she was asked to take an oath as a witness, but she refused.

“I said I was willing to be sworn in to give my evidence. Then she turned to me and said, ‘Will you shut up your mouth, you are a hooligan.’”

The senator said he responded in kind, questioning how a former minister and grandmother could insult a sitting lawmaker.

Despite the heated exchange, Nwaebonyi maintained that he had no regrets about his reaction.

“How can I regret the scenario? I gave it to her. Is it fair for her to address me that way?” he asked.

While acknowledging his respect for Ezekwesili as a woman, he insisted that she was wrong to address him in such a manner.