FEMI Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has opened up on the reason he fell out with Desmond Elliot, the lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, linking the disagreement to the impeachment crisis involving former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
News Point Nigeria reports that the issue between the two politicians had long been discussed in political circles but became more public after Elliot declared his interest in seeking a fourth term in office.
Responding to questions on whether there was a rift between him and Gbajabiamila, who had been regarded as one of his strongest political supporters, Elliot appealed for reconciliation and forgiveness.
“Our leader is a compassionate leader. A leader of thought. We are children. Children sometimes err. If I have erred in any way, my leader, I am sorry. Give me another chance, and let’s move on, and let’s bring more dividends of democracy to the people. Although he has not said that I have erred, I’m just saying that if I have, then this is the situation,” Elliot had said.
However, speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on Thursday, Gbajabiamila traced the root of the disagreement to the political crisis that erupted in the Lagos State House of Assembly following the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker.
Obasa, the longest-serving Speaker of the Lagos Assembly, had been removed by majority lawmakers over allegations of high-handedness and other infractions.
The impeachment, however, triggered high-level political interventions, after which Obasa regained his position and is reportedly on his way to the National Assembly.
Recounting the events during the stakeholders’ meeting, Gbajabiamila disclosed that President Tinubu personally confronted him over reports linking Desmond Elliot to the Assembly crisis.
“I almost lost my job because of Desmond Elliot last year. You can go and verify. The President invited him to his residence in Abuja during the Obasa saga and confronted me over reports linking Elliot to the crisis.
“Mr President called me to his study in Abuja and said, ‘I hear this Desmond is your boy.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He then said Desmond was among those causing problems in the Lagos State House of Assembly,” Gbajabiamila stated.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said he initially defended Elliot before the President because he believed the lawmaker was not involved in the plot.
“I told the President that Desmond was not part of them, but the President insisted and told me to call him to order,” he added.
Gbajabiamila further revealed that he immediately contacted Elliot after the meeting and warned him to distance himself from the crisis.
According to him, the situation worsened days later after reports allegedly linked him to Elliot’s political moves.
“Three days later, the Director-General called me and said there was a serious issue, that my name was everywhere as the person supporting Desmond to push for impeachment,” he said.
Gbajabiamila disclosed that he again reached out to Elliot and asked him to publicly distance himself from the alleged impeachment plot, but the lawmaker failed to do so.
The Chief of Staff said the controversy nearly affected his position in the presidency.
“If not for the kind of relationship I have with the President today, I probably would not still be here as Chief of Staff,” he said.
Gbajabiamila also accused Elliot of allegedly trying to introduce religious sentiment into the political disagreement, insisting that religion had never been a divisive issue within the constituency.
According to him, politicians and office holders in the area have always worked together harmoniously irrespective of religious affiliations.
He further disclosed that the Christian Association of Nigeria had written him a letter regarding Elliot during the controversy.
The President’s Chief of Staff maintained that religious sentiment had no place in the constituency, stressing that leaders and residents had always coexisted peacefully regardless of faith backgrounds.