“We won’t accept it,” Desmond Elliot moves to appeal as APC announces Barakat winner of Surulere APC primary
The lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, has said he will challenge the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election after losing the party ticket for another term in office.
Elliot was defeated on Wednesday by Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, an aspirant reportedly backed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Odunuga-Bakare secured 11,385 votes, while Elliot polled 270 votes across the wards in the constituency.
According to the ward-by-ward results announced in a viral video, Odunuga-Bakare scored 1,956 votes at Owolewa Open Field, off Randle Avenue, while Elliot got 10 votes at the same venue.
Reacting to the outcome, Elliot said he did not withdraw from the race but only directed his supporters and agents to stop participating in the process.
“The only person who can ask me to step down is the party. If the party says Desmond go down, that is when I will step down because I’m a party person,” he said.
“But the party has also, in its magnanimity, given us an opportunity to appeal.
“We were appealing, and as I say, it is not a do-or-die affair. I’m here to serve the people. I mean, that’s my home. They come to my house.
“So, if I am here to serve you as a person, why will some people feel it shouldn’t happen? So, I’m not going to say any more than this, other than the fact that we are not accepting this process. I am not withdrawing.
“Why I said withdraw then is that I’m withdrawing my agents from participating in the voting process. But we are appealing the process. We are definitely appealing.”
The actor-turned-politician also alleged that the primary election was characterised by violence and intimidation against his supporters.
“Nobody was killed. But a lot of people were really maimed. There are videos of people going to the hospital,” he said.
“This is just primaries. It is not a do-or-die affair. In different wards, people are being intimidated. I have been talking about intimidation for a long time.
“If you know you have done well for the people, why are you now worried? You have the machinery of the structure with you.
“I don’t have the structure. You have everything with you. Then why are you scared? Why don’t you just go to the field.”
Elliot further claimed that many of his supporters were deliberately prevented from voting during the exercise.
“Why I decided to say I was not going to accept the process was because when I entered, I discovered that virtually all my supporters were outside, and I kept asking, ‘why were they not coming in? The next thing I heard is that in 20 minutes they’re going to stop. How can you stop in 20 minutes?” he said.
“I was hearing that the cards were fake. The only way you can verify if a card is fake is when they go through the verification process and allow them that process. So, why would you say they are fake?”