In a dramatic escalation of the unfolding political warfare within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Desmond Elliot, has broken his silence.
Responding to explosive accusations made days ago by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila—who claimed he nearly lost his job because of Elliot’s alleged double-dealing—the actor-turned-politician stated that his decision to sign the impeachment notice against the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, was driven by “legislative conscience” and the need to protect the integrity of the parliament, rather than malice or disloyalty to his political benefactors.
The “Conscience” Defense
Speaking at an emergency press briefing at his constituency office in Surulere yesterday, Elliot looked visibly strained but resolute. He directly addressed the viral comments made by Gbajabiamila, who had accused him of “cutting corners” and secretly backing a parliamentary rebellion while pretending to comply with directives to back down.
“With the greatest respect to my leader and mentor, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, I did not set out to compromise his position or his standing with Mr. President,” Elliot stated. “But as a lawmaker sworn to an oath to serve the people of Lagos State and protect the sanctity of the legislature, there comes a time when institutional integrity must supersede personal networks. I signed that impeachment notice because there were deep-seated issues regarding transparency, fiscal management, and administrative high-handedness under Speaker Obasa that could no longer be ignored.”
Elliot vehemently denied the allegation that he acted as a Trojan horse within the Gbajabiamila political family. He explained that the movement to replace Obasa was an organic insurrection by a supermajority of lawmakers who felt stifled by the leadership structure of the House.
The Secret Abuja Meetings
Providing his own timeline of the crisis that shook the Lagos Assembly, Elliot confirmed that he was indeed summoned by Gbajabiamila following the Chief of Staff’s tense meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, his account of what followed differs sharply from the narrative presented by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“When my leader called me, he told me the Presidency was watching and that my actions were endangering his tenure as Chief of Staff,” Elliot recounted. “I understood the gravity immediately. But what I tried to explain to him—which perhaps was not conveyed properly to Abuja—was that the train had already left the station. Over 25 lawmakers had already aligned. If I suddenly withdrew my signature without addressing the core grievances of my colleagues, I would have been completely isolated and rendered useless within the parliament.”
Elliot added that his attempts to find a “middle ground”—what Gbajabiamila characterized as “cutting corners”—were actually desperate diplomatic efforts to broker a conditional truce that would allow Speaker Obasa to address the lawmakers’ grievances without a public, embarrassing removal from office.
The DSS Dossier and the Fall of trust
Addressing the intelligence report from the Department of State Services (DSS) that linked Gbajabiamila’s name to the rebellion, Elliot expressed deep regret that his mentor was dragged into the fray. He alleged that certain elements within the Lagos APC hierarchy deliberately manipulated the intelligence to make it appear as though the Chief of Staff was funding a proxy war against the “Lagos establishment.”
“The narrative that Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila was backing us was completely fabricated by people who wanted to kill two birds with one stone: destroy my political career and create a rift between the President and his Chief of Staff,” Elliot claimed. “I state categorically that at no point did the Chief of Staff encourage, fund, or authorize any move against Speaker Obasa. In fact, he was the biggest obstacle we faced in executing our constitutional duties within that House.”
A Fragmented Dynasty
The public back-and-forth between Gbajabiamila and Elliot marks the symbolic collapse of one of the most successful political partnerships in contemporary Lagos politics. For over a decade, Gbajabiamila’s formidable federal influence combined seamlessly with Elliot’s grassroots, celebrity-driven appeal to dominate Surulere.
With Elliot now openly admitting to signing the impeachment notice against the wishes of both his godfather and the Presidency, the political fallout is expected to be swift. Inside sources within the Lagos APC indicate that disciplinary committees are already being quietly convened to review Elliot’s “anti-party” actions, putting his fourth-term ambitions in extreme jeopardy.
