Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, has officially withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Surulere Constituency I.
Elliot announced his withdrawal after alleging that his supporters were prevented from entering the venue of the primaries, describing the situation as undemocratic.
He claimed that the barricade of his supporters undermined the principles of free and fair participation in the electoral process.
Hon. Desmond Elliot has officially withdrawn from the Lagos House Assembly APC primaries for Surulere 1. pic.twitter.com/WjstxcRW4n
— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) May 20, 2026
According to him, the development influenced his decision to step down from the contest, expressing disappointment over the conduct of the exercise.
Elliot, a former actor turned politician, has represented Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly since 2015.
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
The lawmaker had refused to succumb to calls for a consensus candidate ahead of his primaries, after other contestants stepped down for a former Special Adviser on Housing to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Barakat Bakare-Odunuga.
“The others stepped down and are supporting me and they’re all here, but the only person that didn’t step down and insisted on going to the primaries is Hon. Desmond Elliot. I wish him all the best, and I wish myself luck too. I’m praying that on Wednesday, I emerge as the APC… pic.twitter.com/rV3lDWiqbl
— Lagos Junction (@LagosJunction) May 17, 2026
In a viral video, Elliott alleged intimidation, political victimisation and the withdrawal of his security aides ahead of the exercise.
The lawmaker accused unnamed party leaders and local government officials of coercing members to support a preferred aspirant, claims that have further heightened tensions within the party structure.
As of the time of filing this report, the leadership of the APC in Lagos had yet to officially respond to the allegations surrounding the conduct of the primary election in Surulere.
𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚎𝚠𝚜
𝚅𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 Barakat Odunuga-Bakare at 𝙶/ 𝙶1 Surulere State Constituency I…..𝙾𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎.
Goodbye Desmond. pic.twitter.com/a9Kc6r8t8E
— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) May 20, 2026
