The Senator representing Lagos Central, Remi Tinubu, has come under fire for reportedly calling a woman a thug during the public hearing of the constitutional review on Wednesday.
Senator Remi Tinubu (Lagos Central – APC) has refused to apologise for calling a woman a thug during a heated argument at the zonal public hearing of the review of the 1999 Constitution.
The altercation between the two happened because the other party was trying to get into the Marriott Hotel venue of the hearing in Lagos, but was met with resistance from the lawmaker who’s the chairperson of the session.
Tinubu is leading the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution in the South-West.
It was reported that residents queued to register before they were allowed into the venue of the event.
However, when the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, came in through the back door, the front door was shut and the registration closed.
Some lawmakers from Oyo State, who passed the queue and were about to be ushered into the programme, were allegedly followed by some residents, causing commotion.
Tinubu was said to have shown up at the backdoor to allow the lawmakers in.
Those who were yet to register were said to have stayed in the queue, protesting their exclusion from the event.
However, a woman, who reportedly complained about being denied entry, was said to have decried the partial treatment and voiced out her frustration.
The lawmaker’s ‘thug’ comment was considered rude by eyewitnesses, and she has also been widely criticised on social media since a video of the encounter was posted online.
The senator, after beckoning on her and two others, reportedly called the woman a thug for speaking too loud.
The remark was said to have caused an altercation between Tinubu and those who heard her.
While expressing their reservation for the tag on the woman, the people demanded an apology from Tinubu.
When asked for her reaction after the second day of hearing on Thursday, May 27, Senator Tinubu accused her detractors of politicising the encounter.
She said, “I’m not scared to speak. If we’re trying to build a country for you and you’re playing politics of calumny, it’s a shame; but I’m dedicated to what I do and will continue to be dedicated.
“At age 60, if I’m scared, I shouldn’t be representing my constituency.”
“I will not apologise for what I said. I saw it and I said it,” she reportedly said.
“Madam Senator, don’t call her a thug. You begged us to vote for you…” a man at the scene said.
The lawmaker is no stranger to controversy, and was recently criticised for politicising the issue of insecurity when a fellow member of her party, Senator Smart Adeyemi, voiced his concerns that were considered to paint the APC-led Federal Government in bad light.
She had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.