A combined photo of Desmond Elliot, Femi Gbajabiamila and Barakat Olawunmi Odunuga-Bakare
By Victory Oghene
24 hours after the lawmaker representing Surulere constituency 1 in the Lagos house of assembly, Desmond Elliot apologised to Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu, over his involvement in the failed impeachment attempt of Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house after Gbajabiamila said he almost lost his job during the Lagos assembly speakership crisis last year in which Elliot allegedly masterminded, Elliot’s campaign’s Director-Genera, Bless Koye, has withdrawn his support for the legislator’s re-election bid and declared support for All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare.
Koye made the declaration in a viral video circulating online, where he announced his decision to leave what he described as the “Desmond group” for the “Barakat group.”
“I’ll decamp from Desmond group to Barakat group,” he said in the video.
His announcement signals a possible crack within the political structure backing Elliot, who currently represents Surulere Constituency I and is reportedly seeking a third term in the Lagos Assembly.
Recall that the Nollywood actor had apologised to Gbajabiamila and said any friction between them may have arisen from political misunderstandings.
Elliot disclosed this during an appearance on TVC’s Your View on Friday, where he stressed that there was no intention to offend and reaffirmed his commitment to party unity and constituency development.
Elliot said he entered politics under Gbajabiamila’s guidance, whom he described as his “egbon”, adding that misunderstandings may have contributed to past disagreements.
“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,” he said.
He added that political relationships are not immune to mistakes.
Gbajabiamila had earlier narrated how he almost lost his job due to Elliot’s involvement in the Lagos Assembly saga.
“He is part of the people causing problems in the Lagos Assembly. I am telling you from intelligence that he was part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps,” Gbajabiamila said Tinubu told him.
However, he said he told the president that the lawmaker wasn’t part of them, although he had not spoken with Desmond about it to know if he was part of it.
“I just said he wasn’t,” the CoS said.
Gbajabiamila said he called Elliot, telling him that if he was part of the people, he should get out of there.
Unfortunately, “he (Elliot) started cutting corners.”
In a related development, Elliott, accused some leaders of the APC in Surulere of intimidation, political victimisation, and alleged attempts to manipulate the party’s forthcoming primaries.
In a video circulating on Sunday, the lawmaker alleged that party members were being coerced and threatened to support a preferred aspirant ahead of the APC primaries scheduled for May 20, 2026.
Elliott also claimed that some local government officials had allegedly been removed from their positions for supporting him, describing the situation within the Surulere APC as unfair and troubling.
“Intimidation, coercion, twisting and forcing people to follow their own candidate is what is existing today in Surulere,” he said.
“Telling them that they will not be beneficiaries of some empowerment that is coming some other time. Please, this is not done and should not be done.”
Elliot alleged that the local government leadership had openly supported another aspirant long before the primaries, adding that he initially chose to remain silent despite what he described as the perceived bias.
“It is bad enough that the LGA and the local government already took a side months ago. The local government already took a side to support a particular aspirant,” he stated.
According to him, the level of support he enjoys within the constituency may have unsettled his political opponents.
“They were shocked to have seen the quantum number of people and supporters that we’ve had and who have followed us because they believe in justice and fair play,” he said.
Elliott also alleged that his security personnel were withdrawn under unclear circumstances.
“My security personnel were taken away from me yesterday for reasons best known to them. Now I am left alone to myself. What have I done?” he queried.
The lawmaker further raised concerns over possible violence during the primaries, alleging that plans were underway to mobilise people to disrupt the process.
“They are coming out to fight us. They want to bring people from outside and from within to cause mayhem and trouble,” he alleged.
He appealed to party leaders to intervene and ensure that the exercise is peaceful, transparent and credible.
“I want to ask our party chieftains, please investigate this matter,” Elliott said.
Despite his complaints, the Surulere lawmaker said he would accept the outcome of the primaries if the process is free and fair.
“By the grace of God, if I, Desmond Olusola Elliott, win, Alhamdulillah. If I lose, I will throw my support behind the winner. But please let it be under a free and fair election,” he added.
He also urged his supporters not to be intimidated, assuring them that adequate security would be provided during the exercise.
Elliott further used the video to campaign for other APC candidates, including Wasiu Eshilokun, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat and Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
