The Director-General of the campaign organization for Lagos State lawmaker Desmond Elliot, Bless Koye, has withdrawn his support for the legislator's re-election bid and declared his backing for a rival All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare.
Koye announced his decision in a viral video circulating online, where he stated his intention to move from what he termed the "Desmond group" to the "Barakat group." "I will decamp from Desmond group to Barakat group," he said in the video. This development signals a potential fracture within the political structure supporting Elliot, who currently represents Surulere Constituency I and is reportedly seeking a third term in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The announcement comes shortly after the Nollywood actor-turned-politician issued an apology to Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, suggesting that any friction between them may have arisen from political misunderstandings. Elliot made these remarks during an appearance on TVC's Your View on Friday, where he emphasized that there was no intention to offend and reaffirmed his commitment to party unity and constituency development.
Elliot stated that he entered politics under Gbajabiamila's guidance, whom he described as his "egbon" (elder), and noted that misunderstandings may have contributed to past disagreements. "I'm not saying, oh, yes, media will come out, oh yes, Desmond begs again. Yes, because he's my egbon. And I grew up learning everything I knew in politics through him," he said. He added that political relationships are not immune to mistakes.
Gbajabiamila had earlier recounted how he nearly lost his job due to Elliot's involvement in the Lagos Assembly saga. According to Gbajabiamila, President Bola Tinubu told him, "He is part of the people causing problems in the Lagos Assembly. I am telling you from intelligence that he was part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps." However, Gbajabiamila said he told the president that the lawmaker was not involved, although he had not spoken with Elliot about it to confirm. "I just said he wasn't," the Chief of Staff said. Gbajabiamila noted that he called Elliot, advising him to distance himself from the troublemakers if he was involved. Unfortunately, "he (Elliot) started cutting corners."
