• It’s a shame thugs assaulted me in Benin  ν Gov Obaseki not involved –Aide

Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

Senator Matthew Urhoghide yesterday said that he has no regrets for moving the motion calling for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari on the floor of the Senate.

He made the assertion while addressing newsmen in his Benin City residence. He said he would seek redress in court and also furnish the Senate that he was molested and humiliated at the Benin Airport over what he said during plenary. Urhoghide said it was a shame on Nigeria for a boy to hit a serving senator and representative of the people.

He reiterated that he expected political practitioners to educate people that he was not talking about impeachment when he moved a motion that Section 143 of the Nigeria Constitution should be invoked.

Senator Urhoghide alleged that the Chief of Staff to Governor Obaseki, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, was the brain behind the mobilisation of thugs that assaulted him at the airport on Friday. He said President Buhari should have submitted a supplementary budget for the purchase of the aircraft.

His words: “They have promised to deal with me. If not for the State Commissioner of Police who restrained them. I obeyed the Police Commissioner and remained where I was until the governor came. We were walking side by side, talking when a boy hit my head and the governor walked away. Before I left Abuja, I knew what was happening and the person responsible for it. I called him to tell him that it was unnecessary but he didn’t pick his calls.

“It would be cowardice for me to abort the journey. I wanted to see what would happen and they displayed their thuggery. I am not cowed by it. I will represent my constituency and do whatever I want to do. Those who beat the PDP State Youth leader were not arrested but he was arrested.

“If this game is not played along the direction that some people want it, then they see you as a deviant. That is what you saw yesterday, asking a riff-raff, a boy of no consequence, to lay his hands on me, an elected representative of the people, a serving Senator, it is a shame on this country.

“They should realise I am a PDP senator. I am in the opposition; I am not a member of the APC. I am at liberty to say anything against the APC government. I am just being objective.

“They had ample time to bring the requests but they didn’t. We could have said more aircraft should be bought. What they have done is rumble jumble. The President has violated the constitution and that is the truth. If anybody is pretending that nothing has been done, the person should go to a mental home. Section 80 has been violated.  “Couldn’t I have spoken? That is what miscreants have misunderstood. I don’t have any regret for what I said. I stand on it. Where did I embarrass the President? Because of selfish interest here and they want to show the President that everybody could be cowed in Edo.

“This is not a war I want to fight on partisan basis. I have immunity on what I say on the floor of the Senate. I am being crucified outside for what I said during plenary. I am going to report back to the Senate. All the security agencies must see the threat I am subjected to because I performed my duty as a Senator,”  said.

But ‎in a swift reaction, the Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, denied sponsoring thugs to attack Senator Urhoghide for moving a motion to impeach President Buhari.

He however told Senator Urhoghide to face members of his constituency that protested against his motion.

Akerele stated that he could not have concerned himself with what a senator from Edo South said when he hails from Edo North. He told Senator Urhoghide to look out for the people of Edo South that did the protest  “It was obvious to the public that the people that protested are from Edo South, I am not from Edo South. Am I from Edo South? I have nothing to do with him. I have no business with him. He should go and ask his people who protested from Edo South.”