The fourth-term ambition of Nollywood actor and Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, to represent Surulere 1 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly has caused tension between him and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila is said to have backed the immediate past Lagos Special Adviser on Housing, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, to replace Elliot in the Assembly.
The move was reportedly part of efforts to promote women and gender inclusion in politics.
The decision was said to have unsettled Elliot, who is determined to test his popularity during Tuesday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries.
Sources who spoke with Vanguard said the lawmaker’s bid for a fourth term suffered a setback after President Bola Tinubu allegedly rebuffed appeals by influential persons sent to lobby him on Elliot’s behalf.
Tinubu Rejects Lobbyists
It was gathered that those who allegedly approached the President included a retired general, his wife, a senator, a serving minister and an ally of the President.
They were said to have urged Tinubu to override the position of Surulere APC stakeholders backing Odunuga-Bakare.
But sources said the President insisted on respecting internal democracy and the wishes of party stakeholders.
“The direct primary election will indicate who commands popular control of Surulere APC politics, not external influence,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
He was also quoted as saying, “If the people who carried Desmond for 12 years can no longer defend him, that says everything about the boy’s character and performance.”