June 30, (THEWILL) – Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, is up in arms against Kafilat Ogbara, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, Lagos State and the Chairman, Women Affairs Committee of the lower chamber.
Kennedy-Ohaneye has slammed the lawmaker with a N1 billion suit, accusing her of defamation of character. The minister claims Ogbara made wrong allegations against her while speaking on television earlier in the month.
She said that Ogbara disclosed that she was already under investigation by the Committee on Public Procurement and that she would be invited to appear before the House Committee on Women Affairs over various offences committed in the ministry she supervises.
The minister, who disclosed that she was wrongly blamed for transactions that transpired before she assumed office, said that the false accusations exposed her to odium and ridicule, especially before right-thinking members of the society, including friends, associates, lawyers, relatives, among others. Kennedy-Ohanenye said she had expressed her disdain towards the false allegation and till date, Ogbara and her committee are yet to make any effort to retract the defamatory publication which is her reason for filing the suit against her.
Recall that about two weeks ago, THEWILL had revealed that a cold war was brewing between both women who are ironically, members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The sparks they have both been emitting has become a source of concern for many political watchers, including their fellow party members.
In May, the House of Reps unveiled a plan to investigate allegations concerning endemic financial misappropriation in the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Ogbara had revealed that some contractors had initiated a petition against Kennedy-Ohanenye over the payment of the sum of N510 million to contractors who did not participate in a bidding process, while those who did were left out in the cold.
Ogbara had expressed displeasure over the minister’s attitude to her committee, arguing that Kennedy-Ohanenye had not been cooperative despite efforts made to synergise with her.
Ogbara also claimed that she has many petitions against the minister, particularly from people working within the ministry, who complained that the minister worked alone and dd not carry them along.
She claimed that the minister had been invited several times to appear before the committee and address the issues she was being accused of, but the minister was aloof.
But in a rebuttal, ennedy-Ohanenye did not only deny Ogabara’s claims but also insisted that she was not under investigation over allegations of financial misappropriation. She also said that the House of Reps did not invite her personally over the matter but her ‘office’ adding that Ogbara had no right to publicly say the things she said about her.
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