SAN FRANCISCO, May 31, (THEWILL) – Two senators have so far contradicted claims by the lawmaker representing Bayelsa east in the National Assembly, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce that operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, barred him from exchanging pleasantries with President Muhammadu Buhari during a dinner hosted in honour of federal lawmakers at the Presidential Villa.
Bruce had tweeted on Monday evening using the Twitter handle @benmurraybruce that “I was at the Presidential villa today. Went to the President’s table. DSS wouldn’t allow me greet him but let another Senator greet him.
“I was at the Presidential villa today. Went to the President’s table. DSS wouldn’t allow me greet him but let another Senator greet him!”
“My critics say I shouldn’t criticize the president openly, so I go and meet him one on one and I’m blocked. Am I not a Nigerian citizen?
“My critics say I shouldn’t criticize the President openly, so I go and meet him one on one and I’m blocked. Am I not a Nigerian citizen?
“If PMB’s handlers selectively block access to him, he runs the risk of being surrounded only by sycophants!
In his reaction however, the Senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district, Shehu Sani said he did not witness what Bruce said happened to him at the dinner, stressing that he does not think President Buhari would have done that to a legislator.
Sani tweeted, “We met with Mr President at the Villa yesternight.
“He was frank and blunt with us and we were honest with him.
“He addressed us, and those nominated to speak responded, raised issues and asked questions of which he answered. I actually wanted to speak but I was not so lucky.”
“I was surprised to learn that one of us later disclosed that he was prevented by the security agents from coming close to Mr president.
“I personally experienced no such.
“And I don’t think Mr president can bar any legislature from coming close to him for holding different opinion on national issues.
“I always have independent mind and will always speak my mind when there is need to do so; for decades, Mr President knows me for that and still respect me for that.
“Its not everything the security agents do that Mr President will know.
“Mr President’s address to us was comprehensive and satisfying.
“Wishing him Lord’s blessing and a good health in this historic mission to rebuild our great Country.
“PMB is a leader we most need and deserve at this time,” he concluded.
On his part, the Senator representing Osun central district, Adesola Adeyeye, who was also present at the dinner, said, “I was at the dinner. I sat in the front row along with other Principal Officers of the National Assembly.”
Sharing his account of what transpired at the dinner, the lawmaker said, “I had a vantage view of what transpired. And I’m disappointed by this comment from a respected colleague.
“I have on two occasions provided robust defence of Sen Ben Bruce. Not This Time!
“It was Sen Dino Melaye who first went to greet those seated at the president’s table, including President Buhari. He was well greeted. No one in the senate has criticised President Buhari more than Sen Melaye.
“But as other rose to do what Dino had done, the scene got clumsy and indecorous because people were approaching the president’s table from different directions.
“I sat between Sen Olujimi and Sen Bwacha. The three of us felt embarrassed by what was clearly a breach of dinner protocol. At that level, If dinner is served or being served, good etiquette demanded that the President’s table should not be approached.
“One should wait until people had finished eating.
“No senator in the US would breach such elementary protocol.
“We (on my table) predicted in whispers that colleagues would soon be barred from approaching the President’s table, and it happened.
“The first person to be turned back was Sen Gemade, who was visibly embarrassed. He belongs to the APC: he is not a known critic of the President.
“When I noticed that most people had finished their food, I approached the table and offered my pleasantries. Others followed suit, and no one was turned back.”
