Desmond Elliot Wins Re-election To Lagos Assembly, Despite Toilet Project Controversy

Desmond Elliot, Nollywood actor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the Surulere 1 Constituency of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has been declared the winner of the election.

Dr. Bolajoko Dixon-Ogbechi of the University of Lagos, the Returning Officer, made the declaration on Sunday at the Surulere Local Government Collation Centre in Lagos.

A few days to the election, Elliot had been the subject of a controversy on social media after he commissioned a biofil toilet in his area, with numerous Twitter users pillorying him for celebrating a project they considered ordinary.

However Elliot emerged winner with 15,357 votes, while Benjamin Olasunkanmi, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), came second with 3,628 votes.

“That Desmond Olusola Elliot of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared winner and is returned elected,” Dixon-Ogbechi said.

Shitta-Bey Oluwarotimi of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) came third with 116 votes; Dawodu Oluwaseyi of Accord Party came fourth with 65 votes, while Makanjuola Olaseni of Youth Party came fifth with 59 votes.

Dixon-Ogbechi said the total number of registered voters in the constituency was 134,939, while accredited voters were 20,340.

Valid votes were 19,357, while the total number of rejected votes was 973. She said:

“The total number of votes cast was 20,330 while the results of six units at Igbaja/Stadium with RA number 06 were cancelled due to over voting. So, the total number of votes cancelled in the affected areas were 4,091.”