Lagos lawmaker and Nollywood actor, Desmond Elliot, has publicly apologised to his political mentor and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, saying he may have offended him during the course of his political engagements.
The lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, said this on TVC’s “Your View” programme.
During his appearance on Friday, Elliot stated that any misunderstanding between them was unintentional and reaffirmed his commitment to party unity and development in his constituency.
The apology closely follows an outburst from Gbajabiamila, who revealed that he nearly lost his position as Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu due to the actions of the actor turned politician. Gbajabiamila stated that intelligence reports had falsely linked Elliot to a plot to impeach the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
Though Gbajabiamila defended Elliot to the President, Elliot failed to issue a public statement clearing his name as instructed at the time.
Speaking during the programme, Elliot said he entered politics under the guidance of Gbajabiamila, whom he described as his “egbon,” noting that emotions and misunderstandings may have contributed to their differences. “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 mistakes were inevitable 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 apologised to whom he described as the “matriarch of Surulere,” expressing regret over any offence caused. “To the matriarch of Surulere, mama, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you,” he said.
Despite the apology, the lawmaker maintained that he remained focused on strengthening the party and delivering on his mandate to constituents. “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.
