Lagos State lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency I, Desmond Elliot, has explained his involvement in the attempted impeachment of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa in January 2025, saying he only signed the document based on a misunderstanding of the situation.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Elliot said he was outside the country at the time of the incident and only became aware of the development after it had already gained momentum.
“I would like to state categorically that I wasn’t in the country. My wife and I travelled from January 13th of 2025,” he said, adding that they were in South Africa for a family wedding when the impeachment happened.
The APC lawmaker said the development took him by surprise when he learned that the speaker had been removed while he was away.
“It came to me as a shock because I was in South Africa then… I was also as confused as everybody was,” Elliot said.
According to him, he signed the impeachment document after noticing that many lawmakers had already appended their signatures, with the impression that the process had backing from higher authorities.
“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,” he explained.
Elliot added that lawmakers later discovered that the assumption was incorrect after President Bola Tinubu intervened and clarified that the process was not authorised.
“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 said.
Elliot said the lawmakers later received clarification from President Bola Tinubu that the impeachment was not authorised.
“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.
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Reacting to Gbajabiamila’s claim, Elliot said the allegation came as a shock, given their longstanding relationship.
“So, my leader (Gbajabiamila) 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.
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 that 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.
