Senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District Onyekachi Nwebonyi, has shared his side of the story following a heated exchange with former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili during a Senate Ethics Committee hearing.
On Tuesday, the verbal altercation occurred as the committee began its proceedings into the sexual harassment allegations involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Tensions escalated when Nwebonyi made derogatory remarks, referring to Ezekwesili as an “insult to womanhood” and a “hooligan.”
In a televised interview , Senator Nwebonyi explained that the confrontation began when Ezekwesili refused to take an oath, despite being asked to do so as a witness. According to Nwebonyi, he volunteered to take the oath to give his evidence, but Ezekwesili responded by telling him to “shut up” and calling him a “hooligan.”
The Ebonyi lawmaker responded by confronting Ezekwesili, saying, “You are the hooligan. 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 me a hooligan is unacceptable.”
Despite the verbal clash, Nwebonyi emphasized that he had no regrets about his response, though he stated that he respects Ezekwesili as a woman. He questioned the fairness of Ezekwesili’s treatment, stating, “How can I regret the scenario? I gave it to her. Is it fair for her to address me that way? As a former minister of the Federal Republic and a grandmother, ask her first.”
The incident has sparked debate over decorum in the Senate, with some questioning whether the exchange was appropriate for such a formal setting.
