Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has narrated how his principal almost sacked him over the involvement of Desmond Elliot in the Lagos State House of Assembly crisis.
Gbajabiamila disclosed that he nearly lost his position during the impeachment saga involving former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
Recall that lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly had earlier stated that Obasa’s impeachment was carried out to protect the integrity and sanctity of both the Assembly and Lagos State.
The lawmakers had also described the development as a normal change in leadership, insisting that change was inevitable.
However, following President Tinubu’s opposition to the impeachment, Obasa was later restored as Speaker and peace returned to the Assembly.
Addressing members of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, Gbajabiamila revealed that President Tinubu summoned him to his residence in Abuja during the crisis over reports linking Desmond Elliot to the lawmakers involved in the impeachment plot.
According to him, the president informed him that intelligence reports identified Elliot as one of the lawmakers allegedly causing problems in the Lagos Assembly and reminded him that Elliot was among the politicians politically close to him.
Gbajabiamila stated that he immediately told the president that Elliot was not part of the group behind the crisis, but Tinubu insisted that the intelligence made available to him suggested otherwise.
He further disclosed that after the meeting with the president, he contacted Elliot and advised him to distance himself from the group if he was truly involved in the impeachment plot.
The Chief of Staff added that three days later, the Director-General of the Department of State Services informed him that his name was being linked to the impeachment saga and that he was being accused of backing Elliot.
Gbajabiamila explained that he informed the DSS boss that he had already spoken with Elliot, who denied involvement in the matter.
He added that he later asked Elliot to publicly deny any involvement in the impeachment saga, but said the lawmaker has yet to make any public statement on the issue.
He said, “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.”
