The bid by Lagos State lawmaker Desmond Elliot to secure a fourth term in the Lagos State House of Assembly has suffered a major setback, with reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined multiple petitions supporting his return ahead of the Surulere APC primaries scheduled for May 20, 2026.
Presidency sources said Tinubu rejected separate appeals from influential figures who sought to overturn the decision of Surulere APC stakeholders. The stakeholders had endorsed Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, immediate former Special Adviser on Housing, as Elliot’s replacement in a move aimed at promoting gender inclusion and fresh representation.
According to sources, the President maintained a consistent position during the engagements, stating that he would not interfere with the decision reached by the majority of Surulere stakeholders. He stressed that the direct primary election would “indicate who commands popular control of Surulere APC politics, not external influence.”
Tinubu also made it clear he had no intention of opposing his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, whom he described as the GAC Leader in Surulere and a longstanding pillar of the area’s development. The President recalled that it was Gbajabiamila who had persuaded Surulere constituents to accept Elliot when he first contested in 2015, following a request from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“If the people who carried Desmond for twelve years can no longer defend him, that says everything about the boy’s character and performance,” Tinubu was quoted as saying during one of the meetings.
The President further cautioned against what he described as “undemocratic tendencies,” drawing a parallel to the Fubara-Wike political rift in Rivers State. “A politician who ignores the people who built him and defies public sentiment puts himself in dangerous territory,” he reportedly said.
He added that the field remains open if Elliot believes he can defeat Odunuga-Bakare and Gbajabiamila’s structure in the primaries, but reiterated his refusal to impose Elliot’s candidacy on Surulere.
Despite the rejections, sources say Elliot is relying on a close ally of the President and a female senator to approach Tinubu again while he is currently in France, in hopes of securing a last-minute reversal ahead of the primary.
The Surulere Accountability Front (SAF) has thrown its weight behind the stakeholders’ decision. SAF Chairman Olanrewaju Badmus said Elliot’s 12-year tenure had been marked by “poor representation, political instability, and character deficits.”
“Most of the Surulere youths are tired of him and don’t see him as a role model,” Badmus stated. “Power is ephemeral. The call for a change in Surulere 1’s representation is not by chance. It is the decision of a constituency that has endured enough patience.”
Elliot, a former Nollywood actor, has represented Surulere Constituency I since 2015.
