President Bola Tinubu's chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that he narrowly avoided dismissal due to his close personal relationship with the president amid the controversies surrounding the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2025. The former speaker of the House of Representatives made this revelation while addressing All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Surulere on Thursday, May 14.
Gbajabiamila's Account of the Crisis
Gbajabiamila recounted that a member of the Lagos Assembly, Desmond Elliot, was allegedly involved in orchestrating the removal of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa. Tinubu reportedly instructed Gbajabiamila to tell Elliot to abandon the plan, but the lawmaker ignored the directive. The chief of staff noted that secret police informed him that rumors were circulating that he was backing the lawmakers plotting Obasa's removal, a claim that gained traction because Elliot is widely regarded as his political godson.
Gbajabiamila explained that without his personal bond with Tinubu, the situation could have cost him his position. He shared these details during a meeting with party stakeholders ahead of the APC primaries in Surulere.
Public Reactions to the Revelation
Nigerians have taken to social media to express their views on Gbajabiamila's statements. Emeka Ezeanya commented that Desmond Elliot was playing a rebellion script, stating: "Femi Gbajabiamila just spilt the tea: one 'Desmond is your boy' phone call from Tinubu nearly cost him his CoS job! The same Desmond wey dem 'gave' am like birthday gift turn rebel and almost burn the whole kitchen. Lagos politics na pure godfather script, mess with the Speaker, you go explain to Baba in Abuja! Desmond, your Nollywood return ticket don ready o!"
Olamide Abimbola took a satirical tone, saying: "If they need votes outside Lagos State to make sure Desmond Elliott does not go back to the state assembly, they should let me know. I will definitely vote against him. He's the reason why there's no electricity, good roads, or poor infrastructure, just to mention a few."
Adinoyi suggested Elliot should return to his acting career: "When you have a leader, you must follow the trajectory of your leaders. He should go back to Nollywood." Egbeh Obasi predicted that Elliot's political journey has ended and foresaw his return to acting: "Desmond cup is in the hands of his godfather, now he's going to turn to the surelere masses for his re-election. I see him making a comeback to nollywood in 2027. Because he's politically done."
Gbajabiamila's Message to ADC
In a related development, Legit.ng earlier reported that Gbajabiamila urged Leke Abejide to remain in the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Speaking at Abejide's wedding anniversary, the chief of staff said the ruling party is satisfied with Abejide's membership in the ADC and encouraged him to fight for the party. This comment came amid the leadership crisis rocking the ADC between the factions of Nafiu Bala and David Mark.
