Dare Babalola
Lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, on Wednesday clarified that he had not withdrawn from the ongoing party primary process.
Elliot insisted that he merely withdrew his agents from the voting venue in protest against what he described as intimidation and irregularities.
Speaking with newsmen after chaos reportedly erupted during the exercise, Elliot said he remained committed to the party and was only challenging the conduct of the process through an appeal.
“I’m a party person. This is my home,” he said. “I’m not going to say any more than the fact that we are not accepting this process. I’m withdrawing my agent from going to participate in the voting process, but we are appealing the process.”
The lawmaker dismissed claims that he had stepped down from the contest, stressing that his decision was taken to protest what he alleged was the harassment of his supporters at the venue.
According to him, although no life was lost during the exercise, several persons were allegedly injured, with videos circulating showing some supporters receiving treatment in hospitals.
“Thank God nobody was killed, but a lot of people were injured. There are videos of people going to the hospital,” he said.
Elliot further accused some individuals of intimidating party members during the primaries, questioning why anyone with the backing of the party structure would resort to such tactics.
“We’ve been talking about intimidation for a long time. If you know you have done well for the people, why are you worried?” he queried.
“You have the machinery and 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?”
The actor-turned-politician also raised concerns over the accreditation and verification process at the venue, alleging that many of his supporters were prevented from gaining access before officials allegedly announced plans to end the exercise within a short period.
“When I entered, I discovered that all my supporters were outside. They weren’t being allowed in. The next thing I heard was that in 20 minutes they were going to stop the process. How can you stop in 20 minutes?” he asked.
“The only way you can verify whether a card is fake is through the verification process. So why would you already say they are fake?” he added.
He maintained that his camp would continue to appeal the situation through the appropriate party channels.
