Following the sexual harassment claims made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the former’s eventual suspension, Remi Tinubu, former senator and Nigeria’s first lady, said the Senate is a “matured chamber” where “things like that” should not be heard.

The first lady, who also said the Senate ought to be treated with respect, believed that the upper chamber was doing the needful.

Her words, as quoted in a report by TheCable on Thursday, read: “I know with what is going on in the Senate, you may say, why am I not taking a position? I believe that the Senate is doing what is needful, because that’s what it is.

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“We shouldn’t be hearing things like that. It’s a matured chamber (sic), and it should be treated with respect. It’s an honour for you to be in that place alone.

“I was there for 12 years, even in my younger days, and I’m still trying to look young, but people compliment you all the time. Women, raise yourself; don’t be in a position where men will be talking to you anyhow. You can always shut them down before they start.”

FIJ found that the First Lady herself was a target of sexual harassment threats and sexist remarks by a fellow lawmaker within the same upper legislative chamber nine years ago.

Tinubu, who was representing Lagos Central Senatorial District at the time, had an altercation with Dino Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial District during an executive senate session on July 12, 2016.

During the session, she had attempted to caution the Kogi senator from berating some senators over their perceived roles in the judicial case involving the Senate leadership when Melaye switched to spewing vitriol at her.

On the 2016 incident, Tinubu said that Melaye would have physically assaulted her had fellow senators not shielded her from him. She accused Melaye of making vulgar remarks at her, including threats of rape and assault.

She also accused the Senate of keeping quiet over the matter, as the upper chamber made no move to caution Melaye then.

She would then petition Bukola Saraki, the president of the Senate, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take disciplinary action against Melaye for his misconduct. She even wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for police protection as she deemed Melaye “a threat to her life”.

While sharing her account of the clash, she said:

In a burst of apparent rage, Senator Melaye charged at me in what can only be seen as effort to physically attack me.

The attack was only prevented by some respectful Senators who moved to impede his path or otherwise block him from approaching closer to me. I thank those Senators for their personal courage and sense of decorum.

Melaye hurled foul and vulgar language at me, what he said should never be heard in any public institution let alone the floor of the Senate, denigrating me as a woman. Melaye threatened to beat me on the floor of the senate simply because I dared to express an opinion different from his.

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I am both a ranking Senator and a woman. But Melaye took neither into consideration as he issued threats of rape and assault, while boasting that he would face no consequence even if he fulfilled these criminal threats.

Compounding the damage inflicted by Melaye is the fact that we are both of the APC. Thus, I am compelled to report this incident. It also gives me great concern that the Senate leadership has heretofore been silent on this matter as if condoning the errant behaviour of the Senator.

There were also claims that Melaye said he would “impregnate her” and “nothing would happen”. However, Melaye denied the accusations, saying, “Biologically, it is even impossible to impregnate Mrs Tinubu because she has arrived menopause. How can you say you want to beat somebody and at the same time impregnate the person?”

While acknowledging the clash, he stated that Tinubu had called him a dog, to which he responded that he was not one of the senators who typically prostrated before them [the Tinubus] in Bourdillon.

FIJ’s findings revealed that Tinubu’s petition did not result in any formal legal action or disciplinary measures against Melaye. However, the Senate leadership was said to have intervened and appealed to both senators to sheathe their swords.