May 19, 2026
- Desmond Elliot says he signed the impeachment document while abroad, believing the move had presidential backing.
- The Lagos Assembly crisis in January 2025 was later clarified by President Tinubu, leading to the reinstatement of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot, has opened up about his involvement in the impeachment of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa in January 2025, explaining why he signed the impeachment document.
Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency I, spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, addressing comments from Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who claimed he nearly lost his job over intelligence linking Elliot to the impeachment attempt.
The actor-turned-politician clarified that he was out of the country at the time of the impeachment and believed the move had the endorsement 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 13th, 2025. We were in recess and took the opportunity to attend my wife’s younger sister’s wedding,” Elliot said.
He recalled being in South Africa when the impeachment took place, describing the development as a shock.
“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 abroad. It took me about two days to come back. I was as confused as everyone else. When I saw that almost everybody had signed, we thought it was from the presidency. In all fairness, we thought it was from the presidency, and I appended my own signature,” he added.
Elliot further revealed that lawmakers were later clarified by President Bola Tinubu that the impeachment was not authorised. “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 said.
Reacting to Gbajabiamila’s claim, Elliot admitted that he was surprised. “So, my leader coming to say this — someone I have served with and who has been there for me — to have said that came as a shock,” he said.
The Obasa impeachment saga began on January 13, 2025, when a majority of the Lagos State House of Assembly removed the long-serving Speaker while he was on vacation in the United States. Lawmakers cited alleged gross misconduct, abuse of office, poor leadership, persistent lateness to sessions, and mismanagement of Assembly funds as reasons for the impeachment.
Following Obasa’s removal, his deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was elected Speaker, becoming the first female to hold the position. Obasa rejected the impeachment, calling it illegal and unconstitutional.
The crisis led to weeks of tension, court cases, competing claims to leadership, and interventions by APC national leaders and the presidency. The matter was eventually resolved when Meranda resigned, paving the way for Obasa’s reinstatement as Speaker.
