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The lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, has announced his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election.
He revealed his intention to quit the race at the Paddington mini stadium in Western Avenue, Lagos, where the party’s primary was being conducted on Wednesday.
Elliot, in a video shared on X on Wednesday, alleged intimidation and claimed that his supporters were not granted access to the venue.
According to him, all appeals to electoral officers to grant his supporters access to the polling venue were futile.
“And of course, in all zones, they’ve been intimidating and stopping us. I want to officially announce my withdrawal from this particular race. This is my ward. If you go outside, those are my people outside,” the lawmaker said.
There were clear cases of intimidation across different polling units, and my supporters were denied access to accreditation — let alone voting.
This is not democracy. #apcprimaries pic.twitter.com/BCLjOpv9Ud
— Desmond Elliot (@DesmondOElliot) May 20, 2026
“There were clear cases of intimidation across different polling units, and my supporters were denied access to accreditation — let alone voting. This is not democracy,” he wrote on X.
Elliot’s withdrawal from the race comes a week after the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, said he almost lost his job because of the Surulere lawmaker’s alleged involvement in the 2025 impeachment of Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.
Rumours of a strain in the relationship between Gbajabiamila and Elliot circulated following the incident, but Elliot has repeatedly denied those claims, describing Gbajabiamila as his boss and father.
“We are in a democracy and not a military regime. The names of President Tinubu and Gbajabiamila are too big for me,” Elliot told BBC Pidgin.
“I don’t only have a relationship with Gbajabiamila. He is my boss. I’m loyal to him, and he loves me like a son. In life, even between father and son, there can be small issues once in a while, and people settle it.”
