Lagos lawmaker and actor-turned-politician, Desmond Elliot, has rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress primary election for Surulere Constituency I, insisting he will challenge the process through the party’s appeal channel.
Elliot lost the bid for a return to the Lagos State House of Assembly after Barakat Odunuga-Bakare emerged winner in Wednesday’s APC primary.
Odunuga-Bakare, reportedly backed by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, secured 11,385 votes, while Elliot polled 270.
Reacting shortly after the exercise, Elliot expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the primary, saying his team would formally contest the outcome.
“We are appealing. This is not a do-or-die affair,” he told reporters. “I’m here to serve the people. This is my home and the party has given us an avenue to appeal. We are not accepting this process.”
The lawmaker alleged that the exercise was marred by intimidation and violence, claiming several of his supporters were injured during the voting.
“Nobody died, but many people were seriously injured. There are videos of people being taken to hospitals,” he said, adding that reports of intimidation had surfaced across different wards.
Elliot also accused officials of preventing many of his supporters from accessing the voting venue.
He said concerns first arose when he noticed that most of his supporters remained outside the venue while the process continued inside.
“I kept asking why they were not being allowed in, and the next thing I heard was that voting would close in 20 minutes. How do you end a process like this in 20 minutes?” he asked.
The Surulere lawmaker further challenged claims that membership cards presented by some of his supporters were fake, arguing that proper verification should have been allowed before such conclusions were reached.
“The only way to know if a card is fake is through verification. So why declare them fake without allowing that process?” he queried.
Clarifying earlier reports suggesting he had stepped down, Elliot said he never withdrew from the race but only directed his agents and supporters to suspend participation because of what he described as irregularities.
“The only people who can ask me to step down are the party leadership. If the party says so, I will comply because I am a loyal party man,” he said.
Despite his objections to the process, Elliot reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC and his commitment to serving the people of Surulere.
