Desmond Elliot Vows To Appeal Outcome Of Surulere APC Primary

Desmond Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, said he will challenge the result of the All Progressives Congress(APC) primary election.

Desmond Elliot lost his bid to return to the state assembly after the APC primary held on Wednesday in his constituency.

The ticket was won by Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, who reportedly received 11,385 votes.

Elliot, on the other hand, scored 270 votes according to the official breakdown from the various wards.

Reports from the election showed that Odunuga-Bakare had a wide lead across polling areas, while Elliot recorded very low figures in several locations.

Reacting to the outcome, Elliot said he would not accept the result as it stands.

He claimed there were irregularities during the process, including incidents of violence against some of his supporters.

He explained that he did not withdraw from the race, but instructed his agents and supporters to step back during the voting process.

“The only person who can ask me to step down is the party. If the party says Desmond go down, that is when I will step down because I’m a party person,” he said.

“But the party has also, in its magnanimity, given us an opportunity to appeal.

“We were appealing, and as I say, it is not a do-or-die affair. I’m here to serve the people. I mean, that’s my home. They come to my house.

“So, if I am here to serve you as a person, why will some people feel it shouldn’t happen? So, I’m not going to say any more than this, other than the fact that we are not accepting this process. I am not withdrawing.

“Why I said withdraw then is that I’m withdrawing my agents from participating in the voting process. But we are appealing the process. We are definitely appealing.”

He further alleged that many of his supporters were prevented from accessing voting centres, and that there were issues with accreditation and verification of party cards.

“Why I decided to say I was not going to accept the process was because when I entered, I discovered that virtually all my supporters were outside, and I kept asking, ‘why were they not coming in? 

“The next thing I heard is that in 20 minutes they’re going to stop. How can you stop in 20 minutes?” he said.

“I was hearing that the cards were fake. The only way you can verify if a card is fake is when they go through the verification process and allow them that process. So, why would you say they are fake?”

ALSO READ: Desmond Elliot Withdraws From Surulere APC Primary, Alleges Intimidation [Video]