Nollywood Actor Desmond Elliot Apologises To Gbajabiamila Over Lagos Assembly Crisis, Plot To Impeach Speaker Obasa

Lagos lawmaker and Nollywood actor, Desmond Elliot, has publicly apologised to the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, following revelations that the presidential aide nearly lost his position over allegations linking Elliot to the political crisis surrounding the attempted impeachment of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa. Elliot made the apology during an appearance on TVC’s Your View programme on Friday, where he described Gbajabiamila as his political mentor and “egbon” (elder brother), insisting that any misunderstanding between them was never intentional. His comments come days after Gbajabiamila publicly disclosed how President Tinubu confronted him in Abuja over intelligence reports allegedly linking Elliot to anti-Obasa political moves within the Lagos Assembly crisis. Speaking during the television programme, Elliot admitted that political relationships could sometimes be affected by emotions, misunderstandings and human error, while pleading for forgiveness from the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. “I’m not saying, oh, yes, media will come out, oh yes, Desmond begs again. Yes, because he’s my egbon. And I grew up learning everything I knew in politics through him,” Elliot said. He continued, “To err is human, to forgive is divine. So I’m sorry, my daddy, if I’ve offended you in any way.” The Surulere lawmaker also apologised to a female political figure he described as the “matriarch of Surulere,” saying he regretted any offence caused during the political tensions. “To the matriarch of Surulere, Mama, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you,” he said. Despite the controversy, Elliot maintained his commitment to strengthening the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and delivering on his mandate to constituents in Surulere. “But I will keep keeping the party strong. And to all Surulerians, my scorecard is there. You know the things I’ve done to make Surulere a better place,” he added. The apology followed explosive revelations by Gbajabiamila during an interaction with party members and constituents in Lagos, where he recounted how the political crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly almost cost him his position as Chief of Staff to the President. According to Gbajabiamila, President Tinubu personally summoned him to his private study in Abuja during the height of the crisis surrounding Speaker Obasa and questioned him over Elliot’s alleged involvement. “I almost lost my job as the Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. You can go and verify with him,” Gbajabiamila had said. Recounting the conversation with the President, Gbajabiamila said Tinubu directly confronted him about Elliot’s alleged role in the Assembly crisis. “Mr. President called me to his study in his house in Abuja during the Obasa saga. He said, ‘I hear this Desmond Elliot is your boy, the one we gave to you.’ I said, ‘Yes sir.’” “He said, ‘I hear he is part of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly.’ I told Mr. President immediately, ‘No, no, no, no, no. Desmond is not part of that. I hardly speak with Desmond.’” According to Gbajabiamila, the President insisted that intelligence reports suggested otherwise. “Well, I’m telling you from intelligence that he is part of that. Go and tell him to retrace his steps. This is what Mr. President told me,” he said. The presidential aide disclosed that he immediately contacted Elliot to warn him about the seriousness of the allegations and the possible consequences. “I called Desmond. I said, ‘Desmond, how many ears do you have? I just left the President and this is what he said. If you are one of these people, if you are part of them, get out of there.’” “He started giving excuses and dribbling me,” Gbajabiamila added. He further revealed that the controversy escalated after the Director-General of the Department of State Services allegedly contacted him over security reports linking his name to the Assembly crisis. “Three days later, the Director-General of DSS called me and said, ‘Chief, there is a problem. Your name is being mentioned all over the place that you are the one behind this and supporting Desmond Elliot in this event.’” “Of course, the President would not believe that Desmond would do such a thing and I would not know about it,” he stated. Gbajabiamila said he again instructed Elliot to publicly distance himself from the impeachment plot and political tensions rocking the Assembly. “I told the DSS that I had called Desmond and he promised to withdraw his steps and that he had not done anything. I called again and told him, ‘Desmond, go and make a public statement that you are not part of this. Go and make a public statement.’” The former Speaker said the incident nearly cost him his position in Tinubu’s administration, adding that only his longstanding relationship with the President saved him. “Till tomorrow, if it was not for the kind of relationship I have with Mr. President, I probably would not be here today,” he said. (AI NOTE: ADAORA SHOULD ADVISE LISTENERS TO WATCH THE VIDEO IN THE GALLERY OF THIS ARTICLE)