Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, and member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, Lagos State, in the House of Representatives, Hon James Faleke, on Wednesday exchanged words, creating a mild drama before a House committee.
Ngige, who was answering questions from the House committee, said he and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, were on the same level.
The former Anambra governor noted that aside from being age mates with the former Lagos governor, he also had the same political achievements with him.
“Faleke, they said is up to 60. You are near my age, but I am at least seven years older than you. I’m sure. I am of the same age with your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. I was governor with him at the same time. He was a senator, and I was a senator. I am a two-time minister and he was a minister,” he said.
But Faleke, who apparently making reference to the controversies that followed Ngige’s election as governor of Anambra State, retorted that Tinubu won his own election “very well.”
The minister, however, reminded the lawmaker, who is a former deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Kogi State, how his struggle to replace his running mate and governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu, was frustrated after the latter died shortly after they both won the election.
“Mr Minister, please respond,” Faleke fired back.
“I am responding. You yab me, I will yab you 10 times. I am a Lagos boy. You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this boy. Mushin boy is talking to a VI boy. I live in Victoria Island,” Ngige said.