Elliot, Gbajabiamilia
Desmond Elliot, lawmaker representing Surulere constituency 1 in the Lagos State house of assembly, has apologised to his political mentor, Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu.
The apology is said to be over his involvement in the failed impeachment attempt of Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house.
On Thursday, Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu, said he nearly lost his job during the Lagos assembly speakership crisis in 2025.
In January 2025, Obasa was impeached as the speaker of the Lagos state house of assembly after a majority of legislators accused him of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Obasa was ousted while he was overseas on vacation, after which the then-deputy speaker, Mojisola Meranda, was elected the first female speaker of the house.
Upon returning to the country, Obasa rejected his impeachment and challenged the action in court.
After 49 days in office, Meranda stepped down as speaker, and Obasa was reinstated following Tinubu’s reported intervention.
The court later nullied the proceedings and resolution of the Lagos assembly, which led to Obasa’s ouster.
He’s My Mentor:
Speaking during an appearance on “Let’s Talk”, a TVC programme, on Friday, Elliot described Gbajabiamila as his political mentor and apologised for any perceived wrongdoing against the former speaker of the house of representatives.
“I know media will come out and say eh, Desmond begs again. Yes, because he’s my egbon, and I grew up learning everything I know in politics through him,” Elliot said.
“He might be upset for something or whatever it was. I’m human, and to err is human, to forgive is divine.
“So, I’m sorry, my daddy, if I have offended you in any way. The matriarch of Surulere, mama, I’m sorry if I have offended you, but I will keep keeping the party strong, and to all Surulereans my scorecard, my scorecard is there. You know the thing that I have done.”Elliot also said he was shocked to have been accused as the mastermind of the failed impeachment, noting that he was out of the country when the incident happened.
I Knew Nothing About Obasa’s Impeachment:
Elliot also said he was shocked to have been accused as the mastermind of the failed impeachment, noting that he was out of the country when the incident happened.
“Firstly, I was very shocked when I saw the video. I was actually beyond shocked. During the period, my wife’s younger sister was having a wedding in South Africa,” the lawmaker said.
“So, I was in South Africa when that happened, and you do know sometimes coups happen, and you don’t have to be present, so I knew nothing about it at all.
“Only for me to come back, and what we heard at that period was that it came from the presidency. You know, and quite naturally, I followed the bandwagon. It came from the presidency, and that was what I held on to during that period.
“I? masterminding? That was really shocking to me, but I don’t think it would be proper of me to either speak negatively or ill of someone I’ve served diligently for 11 years.
“You know, I don’t think it’s time for me to start saying things like he’s wrong, he’s not saying the truth, or stuff like that.
“I don’t think that’s what we need now in this country, in Surulere, to start with. I wasn’t the mastermind of it.”
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