Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has revealed that he almost lost his position last year following alleged political tensions involving actor-turned-lawmaker Desmond Elliot during the Lagos State House of Assembly speakership crisis.
Speaking in a video circulating on social media on Thursday, Gbajabiamila said President Tinubu summoned him to his Abuja residence at the peak of the impeachment controversy involving former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
According to him, the president questioned him over intelligence reports linking Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency I, to activities said to be destabilising the Lagos legislature.
“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,” Gbajabiamila stated.
He said he immediately defended Elliot, insisting he was not involved in any plot.
“Immediately I said to Mr. President, no, no, no. Desmond is not part of them.
“I haven’t even spoken to him. I didn’t know whether he was part of that. I said, no, he’s not part of them.”
Gbajabiamila added that Tinubu insisted he had intelligence suggesting otherwise.
“Mr. President said, ‘I’m telling you from intelligence that he is part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps. This is what Mr. President told me. I said, yes, sir.’”
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He further said he reached out to Elliot to relay the warning.
“I called him. That’s what I told him. Just like the President, this is what he said.
“If you are one of these people, if you are part of them, get out of there.”
The Chief of Staff also disclosed that the Department of State Services later contacted him over similar allegations.
“Three days later, the Director General of DSS called me and said there’s a problem. Your name is being mentioned all over the place.
“That you are the one behind, you are supporting Desmond in this event. Of course, the President will not believe that Desmond would do such a thing and I will not know what it sounds like.
“I told the DSS, I’m going to have to talk to Desmond.”
Gbajabiamila said he asked Elliot to clear his name publicly, though he claimed the lawmaker did not do so at the time.
The political tension emerged during the January 2025 Lagos Assembly crisis, when lawmakers impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa over allegations including misconduct, abuse of office, and financial impropriety.
His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, briefly replaced him before Obasa was reinstated after weeks of political negotiations and intervention by APC leaders and President Tinubu.