Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has revealed that he nearly lost his position in the Presidency during the political crisis that rocked the Lagos State House of Assembly over the speakership tussle involving Mudashiru Obasa.
Gbajabiamila made the disclosure in a video circulating on social media on Thursday, where he recounted how President Tinubu summoned him to his Abuja residence at the peak of the crisis and confronted him over intelligence reports allegedly linking actor-turned-politician, Desmond Elliot, to moves aimed at destabilising the Lagos Assembly.
According to Gbajabiamila, Tinubu directly questioned him over Elliot’s alleged involvement in the crisis because of their close political relationship.
“I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot,” Gbajabiamila said.
“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 said he is one of the people causing problems in the Lagos State House of Assembly.”
Gbajabiamila, however, said he immediately defended the Surulere Constituency I lawmaker, insisting that he was unaware of any involvement by Elliot in the crisis.
“I said, ‘No sir, Desmond is not part of them. I haven’t even spoken to him. I didn’t know whether he was part of that.’”
According to him, Tinubu insisted that intelligence reports available to him indicated otherwise.
“He said, ‘I’m telling you from intelligence that he is part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps.’ I said, ‘Yes sir.’”
The Chief of Staff said he subsequently contacted Elliot and warned him to stay away from the controversy if he was involved.
“I called him and told him exactly what the President said. I told him, if you are one of these people, get out of there,” he stated.
Gbajabiamila further disclosed that the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, later contacted him over allegations that both he and Elliot were backing the lawmakers involved in the crisis.
“Three days later, the DSS DG called me and said there’s a problem. Your name is being mentioned everywhere that you are supporting Desmond in this matter,” he said.
He added that he again reached out to Elliot and advised him to publicly clear his name, but claimed the lawmaker has yet to issue any statement denying the allegations.
