The Surulere lawmaker’s latest apology follows a bitter primary contest and an earlier rift over the Lagos Assembly leadership crisis.
Desmond Elliot, lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, has apologised to Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, in a fresh attempt to mend their political relationship.
A video circulating on social media shows Elliot kneeling before Gbajabiamila and pleading for forgiveness during a meeting involving members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
“I’m sorry. I have no excuse; I have nothing other than to say I’m deeply sorry, sir. And in our culture, we prostrate,” Elliot said in the video.
Gbajabiamila subsequently asked him to stand up.
The latest gesture comes months after a political fallout between the two men over events surrounding the Lagos State House of Assembly and the APC primary for Surulere Constituency I.
Desmond Elliot’s apology follows bitter APC primary
The disagreement became more prominent in May after Gbajabiamila disclosed that the Lagos Assembly crisis involving former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa had nearly cost him his position as Chief of Staff.
Gbajabiamila said President Tinubu had confronted him over intelligence reports allegedly linking Elliot to efforts to remove Obasa as speaker. He said he initially defended Elliot but later contacted the lawmaker and urged him to distance himself from the political crisis.
Obasa had been removed as speaker in January 2025 after lawmakers accused him of gross misconduct and abuse of office. Mojisola Meranda, then deputy speaker, subsequently emerged as the first female speaker of the Lagos Assembly. Meranda later stepped down after 49 days, while Obasa returned to the speakership amid a political resolution of the crisis.
Elliot later apologised to Gbajabiamila during a May appearance on TVC’s Your View, describing him as his political mentor and “egbon”. He said any offence was unintentional and reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC.
The relationship subsequently came under further strain as the APC prepared for its Surulere Constituency I primary.
Elliot was seeking a fourth consecutive term in the Lagos Assembly but withdrew from the primary on May 20, alleging that his supporters had been intimidated and denied access to voting areas. He later rejected the outcome and said he would challenge the process through the party’s appeal mechanism.
Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, who was widely reported to have the backing of Gbajabiamila, eventually won the party ticket. She polled 11,385 votes against Elliot’s 270, according to reports of the primary result.
Elliot’s latest apology therefore comes after a series of political disagreements that have reshaped his relationship with one of his most influential political allies.
In the latest video, Elliot also appeared to seek reconciliation with the APC leadership in Lagos and accepted the outcome of the Surulere primary, according to reports on the footage.
The development comes as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Surulere contest already emerging as one of the more closely watched battles within the Lagos APC.
For Elliot, who entered the Lagos Assembly in 2015 after a career in Nollywood, the latest public gesture appears to mark another attempt to repair a relationship that has played a significant role in his political journey.
