Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, says he nearly lost his job over Lagos lawmaker Desmond Elliot during the Mudashiru Obasa impeachment crisis.
Obasa was earlier removed as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, with lawmakers saying the move was to protect the “integrity and sanctity” of the Assembly and Lagos State. They told reporters: “It’s just a change of baton. It is only death that is constant, so change is inevitable.”
But with President Tinubu opposing the impeachment, Obasa was later restored.
Speaking to APC members on Thursday, Gbajabiamila recalled how the issue nearly dragged him into trouble.
Gbajabiamila said, “I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. 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.’
“Immediately, I told the president that Desmond wasn’t part of them, but the president replied and said that, from the intelligence he received, Desmond was part of them.
“After that meeting, I called Desmond and told him what the president said, and asked him to leave the group if he was part of them. Three days later, the DSS DG called me and said there was a problem.
“He said your name is being mentioned, that you’re the one behind the impeachment saga and that you’re supporting Desmond.
“I spoke to the DSS DG and told him I had spoken to Desmond and he denied being part of the group. I then asked Desmond to make a public statement denying his involvement in the impeachment saga, but till today, he hasn’t done it.”
