Honourable Desmond Elliot has gone on his knees. The Nollywood actor turned lawmaker pleaded with Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, seeking forgiveness and reintegration into the APC family in Lagos. He admitted he was misguided during the last APC primaries. He accepted the verdict of the people of Surulere. He pledged renewed loyalty to the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) leadership in Lagos. He also debunked ever working with Olusegun Obasanjo or Seyi Makinde in the coming 2027 presidential election.
This is not the first time a Lagos politician has knelt before the APC establishment. In 2022, former governor Akinwunmi Ambode attempted a return to the party fold after falling out with the Tinubu structure. His efforts failed. In 2019, several lawmakers who challenged the party machinery in primaries were denied tickets and later marginalised. The pattern is consistent. The Lagos APC does not forgive those who defy its internal hierarchy.
Elliot’s troubles began with the 2026 APC primary for Surulere Constituency I. He lost to Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, who polled 11,385 votes while Elliot managed just 270. The defeat was humiliating. It was also calculated. Gbajabiamila had thrown his weight behind Odunuga-Bakare. The message to Elliot was clear.
Elliot initially rejected the result. He vowed to appeal, alleging intimidation and violence. Then came the deeper problem. Gbajabiamila revealed that Elliot’s involvement in the Lagos Assembly speakership tussle nearly cost him his job. President Tinubu had confronted Gbajabiamila over intelligence reports linking Elliot to moves against Speaker Mudashiru Obasa. Elliot reportedly wept openly when Mojisola Meranda stepped down as speaker to pave the way for Obasa’s return. Many in the party read the tears as disapproval of Tinubu’s directive. That perception sealed his fate.
The current kneeling is an admission that the appeal route failed. Elliot has accepted the verdict of the people of Surulere. He has pledged loyalty to the GAC. The hierarchy he defied is the same hierarchy he now begs to rejoin.
Winners: Gbajabiamila, who consolidates his position as GAC leader in Surulere. The APC establishment, which demonstrates that internal hierarchy is enforced. Odunuga-Bakare, whose victory is validated. Losers: Elliot, who loses his fourth term bid and his political standing. His loyalists in Surulere, who backed a losing cause. Any lawmaker considering defiance, who sees the cost of challenging the machine.
Bottom Line: The Lagos APC has no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. It has only permanent hierarchy.