By Ibrahim Salaudeen, Lagos
Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that the political turmoil surrounding the impeachment of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, nearly led to his removal from office.
Gbajabiamila made the revelation on Thursday during an All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, where he accused Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, of dragging him into the controversial speakership crisis.
“I almost lost my job as chief of staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. He’s alive today; you can go and verify with him,” Gbajabiamila said.
The political crisis began in January 2025 when Obasa was impeached by a majority of lawmakers in the Lagos State House of Assembly over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Obasa was reportedly out of the country when the impeachment was carried out, paving the way for then-Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, to emerge as the first female speaker of the assembly.
However, the development triggered weeks of political tension in Lagos APC circles, as Obasa rejected his removal and challenged the action in court upon his return to Nigeria.
After spending 49 days in office, Meranda eventually resigned, while Obasa regained the speakership following what was widely reported as the intervention of President Bola Tinubu. A court later nullified the impeachment proceedings and resolutions of the assembly.
Speaking on the crisis, Gbajabiamila said Tinubu personally summoned him to Abuja during the heat of the controversy and mentioned Elliot among those allegedly involved in the plot against Obasa.
According to him, he initially defended the Surulere lawmaker before later reaching out to caution him against participating in the impeachment move if indeed he was involved.
Gbajabiamila said the situation escalated days later when the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) allegedly informed him of claims that he was backing Elliot in the political scheme.
“Of course, the president will not believe that Desmond will do such a thing, and I don’t know about it,” he said.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives further disclosed that he urged Elliot to publicly distance himself from the impeachment crisis, but the lawmaker allegedly refused.
“If it were not that I had the kind of relationship I had with the president, I wouldn’t be here today,” Gbajabiamila stated.
He also accused Elliot of fuelling religious division in Surulere Constituency I by creating tension between Muslim and Christian political groups.
The remarks come amid ongoing political friction within the APC in Surulere, where party stakeholders recently accused Gbajabiamila of attempting to impose a preferred female candidate for the Lagos State House of Assembly seat.
