Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has revealed that the political crisis surrounding the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly nearly cost him his position at the Presidency following allegations linking him to the impeachment of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
Gbajabiamila made the revelation on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, where he spoke on the controversy that followed Obasa’s removal in January 2025.
Obasa was impeached by a majority of lawmakers over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office while he was outside the country. Following his removal, former Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda emerged as the first female Speaker of the Assembly.
However, Obasa rejected the impeachment, describing the process as illegal, and subsequently challenged it in court. After spending 49 days in office, Meranda resigned, paving the way for Obasa’s return as Speaker following reported intervention by President Bola Tinubu. A court later nullified the impeachment proceedings.
Speaking on the development, Gbajabiamila disclosed that Tinubu summoned him to Abuja during the crisis over claims that Surulere lawmaker Desmond Elliot was involved in the impeachment plot.
“I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. He is alive today; you can verify it from him,” Gbajabiamila said.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives explained that he initially defended Elliot before later contacting him directly after his meeting with the president.
According to Gbajabiamila, he warned Elliot to distance himself from the impeachment move if he had any involvement in it.
He further disclosed that three days later, the Director-General of the Department of State Services contacted him over allegations that he was backing Elliot in the political crisis rocking the Lagos Assembly.
“Of course, the president would not believe that Desmond would do such a thing without my knowledge,” he stated.
Gbajabiamila added that he again advised Elliot to publicly dissociate himself from the impeachment plot, but claimed the lawmaker refused to do so.
“If it were not for the kind of relationship I have with the president, I probably would not be here today,” he added.
The presidential aide also accused Elliot of fuelling religious divisions in Surulere Constituency by allegedly creating tension between Muslim and Christian groups.