Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, senator representing Ebonyi North, has defended his heated exchange with former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, during a Senate hearing, insisting he has no regrets for using insulting words against the former Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa region.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, the lawmaker criticised Ezekwesili for calling him a hooligan and ordering him to shut his mouth.
“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,” he said.
Nwoebonyi explained that the confrontation began when Ezekwesili refused to take an oath despite claiming to be a witness.
“It started when she was asked to be on oath because she said she was a witness. She said, ‘no she can’t be on oath, she can’t oath,’” he narrated.
“As a person, I said I am willing to be sworn on oath so that I can give my own evidence. I was addressing the presiding office. She turned to me and said, ‘Will you shut up your mouth, you are a hooligan.’”
The heated exchange between Nwoebonyi and Ezekwesili erupted during a Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions hearing on Tuesday. The session was convened to address a fresh petition submitted by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Ezekwesili attended the hearing alongside Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, counsel to Akpoti-Uduaghan, and Zubairu Yakubu, the chief petitioner from Kogi Central.
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The confrontation began when Yakubu urged Committee Chairman Neda Imasuen to recuse himself from the case, arguing that his handling of the alleged sexual harassment claims against Senate President Godswill Akpabio had been “controversial.”
“How can the chairman serve as a judge in a case where he has already publicly taken a position? What is the need for us to present our case when a verdict has already been given before hearing us?” Yakubu questioned.
He further alleged that some committee members had pre-existing ties to Akpabio, which, he claimed, compromised their neutrality.
His remarks angered some lawmakers, who accused him of attempting to undermine the committee’s credibility. Ezekwesili also faced criticism from senators who saw her as trying to impose herself on the proceedings.
She, however, insisted on being heard.
“I asked to be put on oath as a witness. I am a citizen of Nigeria,” she said.
See the video below:
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