Lagos State House of Assembly member Desmond Elliot has provided a detailed account of his involvement in the impeachment of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa in January 2025, explaining the circumstances that led him to sign the impeachment document. Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency I and currently faces significant opposition from top party decision-makers regarding his return to office, made these clarifications during a television interview on Tuesday, May 19.
The politician was responding to remarks made by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, who claimed that he nearly lost his position due to intelligence linking Elliot to the impeachment attempt. Elliot stated that he was out of the country at the time of the incident and had been under the impression that the impeachment move had presidential backing.
“I would like to state categorically that I wasn’t in the country. My wife and I travelled during the period of January 13th of 2025. We were in recess and then it was an opportunity for us to travel to attend my wife’s younger sister’s wedding,” he said. He added that the impeachment occurred while he was in South Africa and came as a shock to him. “That was the time Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa was impeached. It came to me as a shock because I was in South Africa then. So, obviously, it took me about two days to come back. I was also as confused as everybody was. And then I saw that almost everybody had signed. And pretty much we thought it was from the presidency. In all fairness, we thought it was from the presidency. And, of course, I appended my own signature. I believe I was maybe 30-something person at that point in time because others who had travelled had returned and others who signed,” he said.
Elliot noted that the lawmakers later received clarification from President Bola Tinubu that the impeachment was not authorized. “But eventually, Mr President called us and made us understand that it was not from him and asked us to return the speaker. And we did,” he added.
Reacting to Gbajabiamila’s claim, Elliot said the allegation came as a shock given their longstanding relationship. “So, my leader coming to say this, that I almost lost his job, one I have served and has also been there for me for this long, to have said that came to me as a shock,” he said. “I always seek his (Gbajabiamila) opinion. He’s my leader. I can't speak about my leader, I’m trained not to.”
The Obasa impeachment saga erupted on January 13, 2025, when a majority of the Lagos State House of Assembly impeached the long-serving Speaker while he was vacationing in the United States. Lawmakers accused him of gross misconduct, abuse of office, high-handedness, poor leadership, persistent lateness to sessions, and alleged financial mismanagement of Assembly funds. His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected as the new Speaker, becoming the first female to occupy the position. Obasa rejected the impeachment as illegal and unconstitutional, insisting due process was not followed. The crisis triggered weeks of tension, court cases, parallel claims to leadership, and interventions by APC national leaders and Tinubu. It was eventually resolved when Meranda resigned, paving the way for Obasa’s reinstatement as Speaker.
