Lagos State House of Assembly member and Nollywood actor Desmond Elliot has apologised to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and sought reconciliation with the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in Lagos.
Elliot was seen in a video circulating online kneeling before Gbajabiamila while pleading for forgiveness and asking to be reintegrated into the ruling party’s political family in Lagos.
The development follows a dispute surrounding the APC primary election for Surulere Constituency I in Lagos.
Elliot apologises
In the video, Elliot expressed regret over his actions and said he had no excuse other than to apologise.
“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,” he said.
The gesture appears to signal an attempt to repair his relationship with the party’s leadership following the disagreement that emerged during the primary process.
Elliot had participated in the contest for the APC ticket but subsequently withdrew from the primary, alleging intimidation and political pressure against his supporters.
He rejected the outcome and indicated that he intended to challenge the process through the party’s internal appeal mechanism.
A decisive primary result
The primary eventually produced Barakat Odunuga-Bakare as the APC candidate.
According to Vanguard, Odunuga-Bakare secured 11,385 votes, while Elliot received 270 votes. Odunuga-Bakare was widely believed to have the backing of Gbajabiamila.
The result effectively ended Elliot’s attempt to secure the party’s ticket through that primary.
His subsequent decision to apologise and seek reconciliation suggests a desire to rebuild his relationship with the party structure rather than continue the dispute.
Political significance
Elliot has been a prominent figure in Lagos politics since entering elective politics while maintaining his career in the Nigerian film industry.
His political career has been closely associated with Surulere, where he served in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The latest reconciliation effort is therefore significant not only personally but politically, particularly as the APC continues to consolidate its structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
Lagos remains one of the APC’s most important political strongholds, and relationships between elected lawmakers, party leaders and the influential Governance Advisory Council remain central to the state’s political calculations.
Seeking a political reset
Elliot’s apology could help draw a line under the disagreement that followed the primary.
The immediate question is whether the APC leadership will accept his appeal and fully restore him to the party’s preferred political structure.
There has been no indication in the reporting that a formal decision on his request has been announced.
For now, Elliot’s public gesture represents an attempt to reopen dialogue with the party leadership after a contentious primary process.
The development also illustrates the importance of internal party reconciliation in Nigerian politics, where disputes over nominations can have consequences well beyond individual elections.