Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has revealed that he came close to losing his position last year due to allegations linking Lagos lawmaker Desmond Elliot to the political crisis that engulfed the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives made the disclosure in a now-viral social media video on Thursday, while recounting a tense encounter with President Tinubu at the height of the leadership tussle involving ousted Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
According to Gbajabiamila, the President summoned him to his Abuja residence after intelligence reports allegedly tied Elliot—who represents Surulere Constituency I—to moves aimed at destabilizing the Assembly.
“I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot,” Gbajabiamila said.
Recalling the conversation with the President, he added: “Mr President called me to his house in Abuja during the Lagos Speaker Obasa saga. He said, ‘I hear this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you,’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He is one of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly.”
Gbajabiamila said he immediately rushed to Elliot’s defense. “I said to Mr President, no, no, no. Desmond is not part of them. I haven’t even spoken to him.”
But Tinubu stood his ground, insisting that intelligence reports had implicated the actor-turned-politician. The President reportedly ordered Gbajabiamila to warn Elliot to “retrace his steps.”
The Chief of Staff said he later contacted Elliot and passed along the President’s message.
The situation escalated days later, Gbajabiamila revealed, when the Director-General of the Department of State Services called him with an alarming update. “He said there’s a problem. Your name is being mentioned all over the place.”
Gbajabiamila added that he advised Elliot to issue a public statement clearing his name—but claimed the lawmaker has yet to do so.
The Lagos Assembly crisis began on January 13, 2025, when lawmakers impeached Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker over allegations of abuse of office, gross misconduct, and financial impropriety. His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was elected in his place, becoming the first female Speaker in Lagos State history. However, Obasa rejected the impeachment, setting off weeks of political drama, legal fights, and interventions by All Progressives Congress leaders—before he was eventually reinstated.
