The lawmaker representing Surulere 1 State Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, has tendered a public apology to his political mentor and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, stating that he may have offended him in the course of his political engagements.
The Nollywood icon made the apology during an appearance on TVC’s Your View on Friday, where he said any misunderstanding was unintentional and insisted he remained committed to party unity and development in his constituency.
At a party stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on Thursday, Gbajabiamila disclosed how he almost lost his job as President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff because of Elliot’s alleged involvement in the January 2025 Lagos State House of Assembly crisis.
While pointedly accusing Elliot of involvement in the short-lived impeachment of Mudasiru Obasa, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives said his closeness to President Tinubu was what saved him from being sacked.
Recall that Speaker Obasa’s impeachment was aborted following the intervention of President Tinubu, who ordered members of the Assembly to reverse their action.
In an apparent response to his godfather’s disclosure, Elliot said he grew into politics under the guidance of a senior colleague he described as his “egbon”, adding that emotions and misunderstandings may have contributed to past friction.
“I’m not saying, oh, yes, media will come out, oh yes, Desmond begs again. Yes, because he’s my egbon. And I grew up learning everything I knew in politics through him,” he said.
He added that human error could not be ruled out in political relationships.
“To err is human, to forgive is divine. So I’m sorry, my daddy, if I’ve offended you in any way,” he said.
Elliot also extended his apology to a personality he described as the “matriarch of Surulere”, saying he regretted any offence caused.
“To the matriarch of Surulere, mama, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you,” he said.
Despite the apology, he maintained that he remains focused on strengthening the party and delivering on his mandate.
“But I will keep keeping the party strong. And to all Surulerians, my scorecard is there. You know the things I’ve done to make Surulere a better place,” he added.
