Hon. Desmond Elliot has pull out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Surulere Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The seasoned politician made his exit official just as party members were getting ready to cast their votes in the internal party shadow election scheduled to take place across the state.
Earlier in the build-up to the contest, the actor-turned-politician had expressed deep worries regarding the transparency and fairness of the primary process.
He released a widely circulated video where he openly cried out over what he described as severe political victimization and aggressive intimidation targeted at his camp.
In the video, the lawmaker specifically complained that his personal security details had been abruptly taken away on the eve of the crucial election.
He had also raised the alarm that key local government workers who showed allegiance to his fourth-term re-election project were being systematically pushed out of their jobs by powerful stakeholders in the area.
Despite his initial firm stance and media appearances insisting that he would not step down for any other aspirant, the growing pressure ultimately forced a major change of plans.
The withdrawal effectively clears the path for other major contenders in the primary race, most notably Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, who had secured the backing of influential party leaders within the Surulere political structure.
“Intimidation, coercion, twisting and forcing people to follow their own candidate is what is existing today in Surulere,” the outgoing representative had stated while lamenting the state of things before making his exit from the primary.
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