The Lagos State House of Assembly Member representing Surulere Constituency I, Desmond Elliot, has explained why he signed the official notice for for the removal of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa from office in January 2025. He said he acted based on a directive from the Presidency in Abuja.
Mr Elliot spoke during an interview on Channel Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday, while reacting to remarks by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, that he nearly lost his political position over intelligence reports linking Mr Elliott to the plot against Mr Obasa.
Mr Gbajabiamila had, during a recent meeting with top party faithfuls in Lagos, alleged that intelligence reports submitted to President Bola Tinubu identified Mr Elliot as one of the lawmakers involved in the move against Mr Obasa.
The remarks later generated political controversy within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Responding to the allegation on Channels on Tuesday, Mr Elliott said he was outside Nigeria when the crisis erupted and initially believed the move against Mr Obasa had the backing of the presidency.
“I would like to state categorically that I wasn’t in the country. My wife and I travelled during the period of January 13, 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.
Mr Elliot said he was in South Africa when he learnt about the move to remove Mr Obasa and only returned to Nigeria about two days later.
“That was the time Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa was impeached by the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“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 a 30-something person at that point in time because others who had travelled had returned and others who had signed,” the Lagos lawmaker said.
Mr Elliot’s comment unintentionally confirmed public perception of lack of legislative independence at both the federal and state levels. Many Nigerians believe that state Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly are subject to external influence in making decisions on key issues.
According to Mr Elliot, the lawmakers later received clarification from President Bola Tinubu that the impeachment did not have his approval.
“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.
Mr Elliott also expressed surprise over Mr Gbajabiamila’s comments, noting that they had maintained a longstanding political relationship.
“So, my leader came to say this, that he almost lost his job,” Mr Elliot said, adding that having served Mr Gbajabiamila and benefitted from him for long, the comment from the president’s chief of staff “came to me as a shock.”
The Lagos crisis
The crisis in the Lagos Assembly began on 13 January 2025 when a majority of lawmakers removed Mr Obasa as speaker while he was reportedly on vacation in the United States.
The lawmakers accused him of gross misconduct, abuse of office, high-handedness, poor leadership style, persistent lateness to plenary sessions, and alleged financial mismanagement of Assembly funds.
Following his removal, his deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was elected speaker, becoming the first woman to lead the Assembly.
Mr Obasa, however, rejected the impeachment, describing it as unconstitutional and insisting that due process was not followed.
The controversy triggered weeks of political tension within the Assembly and the Lagos chapter of the APC, with parallel claims to leadership, court cases and interventions by party leaders.
Reports at the time indicated that the crisis also reached the presidency, with Mr Tinubu later intervening to resolve the dispute after discovering that the impeachment was carried out without his authorisation.
The political standoff was eventually resolved after Mrs Meranda resigned as speaker, paving the way for Mr Obasa’s reinstatement.