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I regret not slapping Mohammed
--Anisulowo
•Accepts apology
COSMAS EKPUNOBI, Abuja and KOLA
ADEPOJU, Abeokuta
SENATOR
Iyabo Anisulowo (Ogun) who was slapped by her male colleague, Senator Isa
Mohammed (Niger), at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, last Thursday said
her greatest regret in the matter was not returning the slap.
Speaking with Daily Champion after
the Senate slammed a two-week suspension on Mohammed, the female senator and
chairman of the legislative chamber’s committee on states and local government
affairs, said though she had forgiven her assailant, she regretted not hitting
him back.
Senator Anisulowo, who is Mohammed’s boss
on the committee, alleged that the incident arose from the latter’s unauthorised
withdrawal of N500,000 from the committee’s funds while she was away in an
approved foreign trip.
According to her, Senator Mohammed was
angry with her because she had asked for refund of the N500,000 he allegedly
illegally withdrew from the committee’s fund.
Anisulowo further alleged that Mohammed,
who is her deputy had collected the said N500,000 from the committee’s secretary
while she was on official trip abroad "in protest of the said estacode which I
collected for the tour."
"He cannot collect committee money without
my approval and that was why I told the officials to re-account for the money
and so going back to this, he felt slighted," she said.
According to her, such withdrawal was
illegal because there can be "no withdrawal of committee’s fund without my
approval."
She told Daily Champion that her
deputy’s anger was because she queried the said withdrawal.
Senator Anisulowo said that whatever
committee’s fund she had taken for the foreign trip was to enable her perform
her duty as the chairman, adding that the said tour was duly approved by the
Senate leadership.
In Ogun State, Gov. Gbenga Daniel
yesterday expressed satisfaction with the suspension of Senator Mohammed by the
Senate.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary
(CPS), Mr. Dare Folarin, the governor described the suspension as a welcome
development.
He stressed that the action was a
corrective measure that was imperative for democratic and leadership growth in
the country.
"It is a welcome development. We believe
that it is a move to right the wrong and of course, to forestall such unbecoming
behaviour in our midst," he said.
Daniel said the assault was not only an
insult on Sen. Anisulowo but also a slap on the people of Ogun State.
"The fact that the Ethics Committee has
disciplined him (Mohammed), had shown the insult which came to Ogun State had
been corrected he said.
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