By Adeyemi Adeleye
Scores of APC members and residents of Surulere 1 constituency on Tuesday marched round the streets of the Lagos constituency, urging the party to adopt the incumbent lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, as its consensus candidate for the 2027 elections.
The residents , who converged on Teslim Balogun Stadium, walked round the popular Shitta Roundabout and adjoining streets, holding placards with various inscriptions expressing their support for Elliot.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that inscriptions on some of the placards included: “Stop Playing with Our Future,” “We Reject Imposition in Surulere,” “No Godfather Can Decide for Us,” “Don’t Silence Surulere,” and “Let the People Decide,” among others.
Speaking with newsmen, Mr Oludare Khalid-Willican, who led the march,said action had become necessary following a rumoured decision by some party leaders to give the APC ticket to a supposed consensus candidate.
“The people behind me here are residents of Surulere. Some are APC members and many are just residents who have seen or benefitted from Desmond Elliott’s good representation in the House of Assembly.
“We are advocating that he should remain the party candidate for the Surulere Constituency I seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“The people should determine who should represent them, and what we are advocating is that Desmond Elliot has done us good in Surulere; he should not be changed.
“He has done a lot in Surulere. So it’s not about how far, it is how well he has been able to wipe away tears, give hope to people, especially the young, old, women, unemployed and the sick.
“He has done a whole lot in Surulere that we cannot even let him go. The party leaders should please try to understand our own perspective, not just theirs alone,” he said.
According to him, the third-term lawmaker has brought many job opportunities, life-changing initiatives, reliefs and empowerment programmes to residents.
“His representation is not about giving money but impacting lives. He is working for us,” he said.
He called on Bola Tinubu, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, the Chief of Staff to the President and APC leader in Surulere,Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, to listen to the yearnings of residents.
Another resident, Mrs Alero Asolo, said: “I am a resident and an indigene of Surulere. Desmond is our son. I speak for the older people who are not here with us.
“He’s our brother. I speak for his age group, and he is our representative for the whole of Surulere.
“I’m from Ward F, where Desmond is domiciled. He’s a grassroots man. He knows everybody. He knows who’s sick; he knows the Christians and the Muslims.
“He knows who is in need. He knows the community that he needs to work for. We don’t want any imposition in Surulere.
“We are not gathered here for one naira. We’re gathered here for the work he has done.”
Highlighting the community impact of Elliot, Asolo said the lawmaker’s influence remained visible in electricity, education, health, roads, sports and other sectors.
“We know what he does, we know what he’s doing, and we know his plans for the future. Every one of us here wants him back.
“He’s a great representative of Christianity. He’s the only Christian we have in Surulere occupying an elective position, and he is touching everybody. We need him here.
“We didn’t come here to fight. We are staging a walk to show our support, but quietly, and we are hoping that the party leaders hear from us and hear us well,” Asolo said.
The resident, who noted that the protesters were not paid to protest, said: “Desmond does not know what’s going on right now. I have not seen him in months.”
Another resident, Mr Kudus Olayiwola, who reiterated the same call, said denying Elliot the return ticket could affect the ruling party in Surulere.
Olayiwola, who disclosed that he was born and runs his business in Surulere, said:
“We are advocating not just because of any other reason; Elliot is close to everybody, easily accessible regardless of the problem.
“We need somebody who can see the cries of everyone around here.
“If we bring in a new person to represent us for any selfish reasons, it will not be to our advantage as a people, and it does not make sense.
“He is the best man for the job, and that is the person we want. When we had issues with electricity, he was the only person that stood out.
“We are not voting for party in 2027. Voting is not for party; we are going to vote for the right candidate.
“This is Surulere. If Desmond is denied the APC ticket and he decides to go to any party, we are going with him, and we will ensure he wins the seat to continue his good job.”
At the residence of Alhaji Kabir Lawal, the APC Coordinator for the Renewed Hope Ambassadors for Surulere Local Government, where the protesters terminated their march, the leader commended them for being peaceful.
Addressing the protesters, Lawal said there had not been any consensus candidate in the constituency for the seat.
He said all aspirants would contest for the party ticket through a primary election.
“There is nothing wrong with showing your grievances when you are not pleased with the way things are done in a democratic setting. Protest is allowed, which you are doing now.
“I will not want us to have a misrepresentation of what is happening, particularly regarding what you are saying—that our leader in Surulere has anointed somebody. To the best of my knowledge, I am not aware of that.
“Our leader in Surulere, the Chief of Staff to the President, has not yet called us to state the way forward.
“All I know for sure is that if we have not reached a consensus, it will necessitate a primary election—that is the directive by our President.
“So, I will urge everyone to be patient. The mandate I have is to deliver our party’s candidates and Mr President in the forthcoming elections.
“We cannot afford to be divided; we must understand ourselves. We cannot afford to lose your votes,” Lawal said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
AYO/BHB
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Edited by Buhari Bolaji
