Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that the political crisis surrounding the impeachment of former Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa almost cost him his position in government.
Gbajabiamila also claimed that actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot lost his bid for a fourth term in the Lagos State House of Assembly because of his alleged role in the impeachment controversy.
Speaking to members and supporters of the APC in Surulere on Thursday, Gbajabiamila revealed that he almost got sacked by Tinubu during Obasa’s impeachment saga involving Elliot and other members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
- “I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. President called me to his study in his house in Abuja during the Obasa saga, and he said, ‘I heard this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you, we heard he’s part of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly,’ and immediately I told President that Desmond was not part of them. I haven’t even confirmed from Desmond, but I defended him.”
“But the president said, ‘Well, I’m telling you from intelligence that he’s part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps,’ and I called Desmond and told him that if he was part of them, he should withdraw,” Gbajabiamila added.
He, however, noted that during his phone call with Elliot, the lawmaker dilly-dallied rather than being straightforward with him about his involvement in Mr Obasa’s impeachment saga.
Gbajabiamila noted that three days after his meeting with the president, he received a phone call from the Director General of the State Security Service, who informed him that he was being accused of supporting Elliot to ensure the impeachment of Obasa.
He added, “Of course the president will not believe that Desmond would do such a thing, and I would not know about it. But I told the DG DSS that I had already spoken with Desmond, and he promised to withdraw his involvement in the matter. So, I called Desmond again and directed him to issue a public statement that he wasn’t part of them, but till tomorrow, he never did. If not for my kind of relationship with President, I won’t be here today.”
On January 13, 2025, 32 of the 40 state legislators impeached Obasa while he was out of the country. This triggered a leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly, prompting Tinubu’s intervention and the subsequent reinstatement of Mr Obasa as Speaker after more than 40 days.
