The ambition of Nollywood actor and Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, to represent Surulere 1 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly for the fourth term has generated tension between him and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila was said to have supported the immediate past Lagos Special Adviser on Housing, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, to take Elliot’s place in the Assembly.
The move was said to be part of efforts to promote women and gender inclusion in politics.
It was said that Elliot was unsettled by the decision and is determined to test his popularity in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries on Tuesday.
The lawmaker’s bid for a fourth term was said to have hit a snag after President Bola Tinubu allegedly turned down pleas by influential persons who reached out to him to lobby on behalf of Elliot, Vanguard reports.
Lobbyists Blocked by Tinubu
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 called on Tinubu to override the position of stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Surulere who are supporting Odunuga-Bakare.
But sources said the President was adamant on respecting internal democracy and the wishes of party stakeholders.
The direct primary election will show who has popular control of Surulere APC politics, not external influence,” Tinubu was quoted.
He was also quoted as saying, “If the people who carried Desmond for 12 years can’t defend him anymore, that says everything about the character and performance of the boy.”
