Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot, has made a fresh move to reconcile with Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Elliot was seen in a video circulating on social media kneeling before Gbajabiamila and pleading for forgiveness.
The lawmaker also appealed for an opportunity to return fully into the political structure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
“I’m sorry, I have no excuse, I have nothing other than to say I’m deeply sorry and I am hoping to be cultured in the future,” Elliot said.
The latest appeal comes months after a disagreement between the two politicians over events surrounding the APC primary election for Surulere Constituency I.
Elliot had sought another term in the Lagos State House of Assembly but eventually lost the party’s ticket to Barakat Odunuga-Bakare.
This created a setback for the actor-turned-politician, who had represented Surulere Constituency I since 2015 and was seeking to return to the Assembly for another term.
The relationship between Elliot and Gbajabiamila had already come under strain before the primary.
The dispute was linked partly to the political crisis that erupted in the Lagos State House of Assembly in January 2025 over the removal of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker.
Elliot had previously explained his involvement in the episode, saying he signed the impeachment document after returning from South Africa and seeing that several lawmakers had already appended their signatures.
He said lawmakers initially believed the move had the backing of the Presidency before President Bola Tinubu later clarified that he had not authorised the removal of Obasa.
Gbajabiamila subsequently expressed displeasure over the role Elliot was perceived to have played in the episode.
Elliot had repeatedly described Gbajabiamila as his political leader and mentor.
He had also acknowledged the role played by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives in his political journey.
In May, Elliot publicly apologised to Gbajabiamila during a television appearance.
He appealed to the Chief of Staff to President Tinubu to forgive him if his actions or words had caused offence.
“I’m sorry, Daddy, if I offended you in any way,” Elliot had said during the appearance.
The lawmaker was determined to secure the party’s ticket for a fourth consecutive term.
However, the contest became increasingly contentious as support for Odunuga-Bakare grew within the constituency.
Elliot later accused some party leaders and local government officials of intimidating his supporters.
He also complained about the withdrawal of his security personnel shortly before the primary.
“Intimidation, coercion, twisting and forcing people to follow their own candidate is what is happening today in Surulere. Telling them they will not be beneficiaries of some empowerment,” he said at the time.
“We have been intimidated so much that a lot of people have been fired from the local government because they follow me. My security personnel were also taken away from me yesterday. I’m now left alone to myself. What have I done?” he lamented.
Elliot subsequently announced his withdrawal from the primary, citing what he described as intimidation and pressure.
However, the development did not end the contest.
The primary went ahead, and Odunuga-Bakare emerged victorious in the election.
She secured 11,385 votes, while Elliot received 270 votes.
Following the result, Elliot rejected the outcome and said he would challenge the process through the party’s appeal mechanism.
He maintained that the exercise was not acceptable to his camp and insisted that he remained committed to serving the people of Surulere.
“We are appealing, and as I say, it is not a do-or-die affair. I’m here to serve the people. That’s my home. They come to my house. So, I’m not going to say any more than this, other than the fact that we are not accepting this process. But the party has also, in its magnanimity, given us an opportunity to appeal,” he said.
Although he lost the ticket, Elliot has remained active in public life.
In August, he was seen on a movie set alongside actor Ibrahim Chatta, fuelling speculation about a possible return to Nollywood after his setback in the APC primary.
Politics Nigeria reported that the actor-turned-politician had not, however, announced a permanent return to the movie industry.