Lagos State House of Assembly member Desmond Elliot has appealed to Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, for forgiveness following a disagreement that emerged during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Lagos.
In a video circulating on social media, Elliot was seen kneeling before Gbajabiamila as he apologised for his actions and sought to be welcomed back into the ruling party’s political structure in Lagos.
“I’m sorry, I have no excuse, I have nothing other than to say I’m deeply sorry and I am hoping to be cultured in the future,” Elliot said while pleading with the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The apology comes months after a contentious APC primary for the Surulere Constituency I seat, where Elliot withdrew from the exercise amid allegations of intimidation and political pressure against his supporters.
Following his withdrawal, the lawmaker rejected the outcome of the exercise and indicated that he would pursue his grievances through the party’s internal appeal process.
The primary eventually produced Barakat Odunuga-Bakare as the APC candidate for the constituency. Odunuga-Bakare was widely reported to have the backing of Gbajabiamila.
The margin between the two contenders was substantial. Odunuga-Bakare secured 11,385 votes, while Elliot received just 270 votes.
The outcome effectively ended Elliot’s bid for the APC ticket, after the lawmaker had publicly expressed concerns about the conduct of the primary.
His latest appeal to Gbajabiamila appears to signal an attempt to repair relations with the party leadership and secure his reintegration into the APC’s political structure in Lagos.
The incident also highlights the political tensions that followed the party’s primary process in Surulere, particularly after Elliot challenged the circumstances surrounding the exercise.
Elliot did not provide further details in the video about the specific actions for which he was seeking forgiveness, but his public apology was framed as an admission of wrongdoing and a request for reconciliation.
His statement that he had “no excuse” and hoped to be “cultured” in the future marked a conciliatory departure from his earlier position following the disputed primary.
The development comes against the backdrop of the political importance of Surulere in Lagos, where Gbajabiamila has maintained significant political influence over the years.
With the apology, Elliot appears to be seeking to move beyond the disagreement and rebuild his relationship with the APC leadership ahead of future political activities.
