After Surulere APC Shock: What Desmond Elliot Can Learn from Hakeem Masha
The APC primary for Surulere Constituency I ended in a historic upset. Actor-turned-lawmaker Desmond Elliot, a three-term assembly member, secured just 270 votes while Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, backed by Femi Gbajabiamila, polled 11,385. Elliot has rejected the result and plans to appeal through party channels. This outcome reflects the power of Lagos APC’s internal structure. Public displays of dissent—like Elliot’s reaction to the Obasa speakership saga—can weaken even well-known figures when party bosses are aligned against them. Desmond Elliot’s struggle mirrors the fate of former lawmaker Hakeem Masha, who challenged his defeat in 2015, lost in court, and never regained political relevance. In Lagos APC, loyalty to the party’s dominant bloc often trumps personal ambition. Elliot could salvage his future by accepting defeat gracefully, as ex-governor Akinwunmi Ambode did, rather than contesting outcomes that clash with the party hierarchy.
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