Lagos State House of Assembly member Desmond Elliot has rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for Surulere Constituency I and said he will challenge the process through the party’s appeal mechanism.
Elliot lost the ticket to Barakat Odunuga-Bakare in the primary held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. According to the official result sheet, Odunuga-Bakare polled 11,385 votes while Elliot secured 270 votes. The result was a landslide win for Odunuga-Bakare, who is widely believed to have the backing of Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Reacting shortly after the results were announced, Elliot said he was dissatisfied with how the primary was conducted. “We are appealing, and as I say, it is not a do-or-die affair. I’m here to serve the people. That’s my home. They come to my house. So, I’m not going to say any more than this, other than the fact that we are not accepting this process,” he told reporters.
The lawmaker alleged that violence, intimidation, and disenfranchisement marred the exercise. He claimed several of his supporters were injured and prevented from accessing polling venues. “Nobody was killed. But a lot of people were really maimed. There are videos of people going to the hospital. This is just primaries. It is not a do-or-die affair. In different wards, people are being intimidated,” Elliot said.
Elliot also questioned why many of his supporters were kept outside the voting area. “Why I decided to say I was not going to accept the process was because when I entered, I discovered that virtually all my supporters were outside, and I kept asking, ‘Why were they not coming in?’ The next thing I heard is that in 20 minutes they’re going to stop. How can you stop in 20 minutes?” he asked.
He clarified that his earlier statement about “withdrawing” referred only to pulling his agents out of the voting process, not to quitting the race. “We are appealing the process. We are definitely appealing,” he said.
Elliot maintained that he remains a loyal APC member and will pursue redress through the party’s internal mechanism. “The only person who can ask me to step down is the party. If the party says Desmond go down, that is when I will step down because I’m a party person,” he said.
Barakat Odunuga-Bakare was declared winner of the primary and is set to fly the APC flag for Surulere Constituency I in the 2027 general elections. Gbajabiamila, who voted in Ward G2, described the process as peaceful, orderly, and transparent….See More
