Lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, has dismissed suggestions that he could defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) if denied the party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.
The actor-turned-politician made the remarks during an interview on TVC’s Your View, amid growing political tension surrounding his bid for a fourth term in the Lagos Assembly.
Responding to questions on whether he would consider joining another political party if the APC eventually refused to hand him the ticket, Elliot said loyalty to the party remained non-negotiable for him.
“So many people have called and said, ‘Hey, go to another party.’ I said, ‘Go to another party? How?’ Daddy picked me from nowhere,” he said during the interview.
According to him, the APC gave him the political platform that transformed his career, insisting he would rather step aside than abandon the party over personal ambition.
“If the party says, ‘Desmond, you have done well, go and sit down,’ I will sit down and support whoever the party picks,” he added.
Elliot further argued that constant defections by politicians weaken party structures and discourage younger party members from believing in long-term political loyalty.
“We as growing party members should know that there are younger people behind us. If we begin to do this jump from one party to another game that is going on, then we will not exist,” he stated.
The comments come at a time of heightened internal contest within the APC in Surulere, where Elliot is facing mounting opposition over his fourth-term ambition. Reports have indicated that some party stakeholders are backing former Lagos State aide, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, to challenge him for the ticket.
In recent weeks, Elliot has also been drawn into political controversies linked to the Lagos State House of Assembly leadership crisis and his relationship with President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
During the same TVC appearance, the lawmaker publicly apologised to Gbajabiamila over alleged misunderstandings arising from the Assembly crisis, describing the former Speaker of the House of Representatives as his political mentor.
Elliot, who has represented Surulere Constituency I since 2015, recently confirmed that he had obtained his APC nomination form to seek re-election, arguing that another term could position him as a ranking member capable of attracting more benefits to the constituency.
