Three-term Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, has lost the All Progressives Congress primary election for Surulere Constituency I amid allegations of intimidation during the exercise.
Elliot, who currently represents Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, was seeking a fourth term in office.
The primary election was reportedly marked by internal party disagreements and political rivalry.
The lawmaker had allegedly been involved in a prolonged political rift with some former allies said to have withdrawn support for his re-election bid.
Party stakeholders were also said to have urged him to step down for another aspirant, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, but Elliot reportedly declined and remained in the race.
Tension heightened during the primary as supporters of the lawmaker alleged intimidation and harassment aimed at preventing them from participating in the voting process.
Members of Elliot’s media team claimed there were deliberate attempts to suppress votes in favour of the incumbent legislator.
According to the team, incidents recorded at different voting centres were documented by journalists and party observers monitoring the exercise.
A member of the media team alleged that concerns over the credibility of the primary existed before voting commenced.
“We already knew that it was not going to be a free and fair primary, which is why members of Desmond Elliot’s media team invited conventional media organisations to monitor and document the process,” the source said.
As of the time of filing this report, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos had yet to officially respond to the allegations surrounding the conduct of the primary election in Surulere.
