Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and some principal officers of the National Assembly on Thursday angrily turned back at the entrance of the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday night.
The lawmakers were invited to a dinner by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The lawmakers had first converged at the home of Saraki before arriving the villa together in a white coaster bus.
Trouble reportedly started after the security operatives at the villa insisted that the lawmakers must alight in order to be screened.
They however left in protest after all efforts to the security guards see reason fell through.
“We were told to come down from the bus one-by-one for security check. Not even the presence of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives would make the security operatives change their mind.
“We therefore decided to turn back. We could not withstand such an embarrassment,” one of the lawmakers said.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu confirmed the incident.
He said Buhari sent his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, to go and make peace with the lawmakers immediately he heard.
Shehu said Saraki and Dogara later returned for the dinner with the President and Vice-President during which Buhari apologised for the incident.
“The Senate President and the Speaker returned and they just finished dinner with the President. President Buhari has apologised to them,” he said.
The Presidential dinner with the principal officers of the National Assembly is said to have been rescheduled for Tuesday.
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