A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, has stepped down from the All Progressives Congress primary election for the Surulere I constituency, citing alleged intimidation of his supporters during the process.
The lawmaker announced his withdrawal on Wednesday at the Paddington mini stadium along Western Avenue, the designated venue for the party’s primary election.
According to him, repeated attempts to ensure his supporters were granted access to the voting area were unsuccessful, despite appeals to officials overseeing the exercise.
“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,” he said.
He further insisted that many of his loyalists were barred from entering the venue even after several interventions made on their behalf.
“They’ve not been allowed,” Elliot stated shortly before announcing his withdrawal from the contest.
After his announcement, a number of his supporters staged a calm protest before leaving the premises alongside him, bringing an end to his participation in the primary.
“Good luck. Thank you, and God bless you,” he told party members after stepping down from the race.
Elliot added that his decision to exit the contest was aimed at preventing any escalation of tension, stressing that no political ambition was worth loss of life. He also urged the APC leadership to ensure fairness and transparency in future primaries across the state.
Earlier in the day, he had also claimed in a trending video that his security details were withdrawn, while accusing party leaders and local government actors of pressuring members to back a preferred candidate.
“Intimidation, coercion, twisting and forcing people to follow their own candidate is what is happening today in Surulere. Telling them they will not be beneficiaries of some empowerment,” he said.
He added, “We have been intimidated so much that a lot of people have been fired from the local government because they follow me. My security personnel were also taken away from me yesterday. I’m now left alone to myself. What have I done?”
The controversy comes months after Elliot issued an apology to Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to Bola Tinubu, following Gbajabiamila’s public withdrawal of support for him over Elliot’s alleged involvement in moves to impeach the Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, in 2025.
