Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The video was brief, but the message was unmistakable. Desmond Elliot, the Nollywood actor who traded the film set for the hallowed chambers of the Lagos State House of Assembly, was on his knees. Before him stood Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and the man Elliot has long acknowledged as his political mentor. The lawmaker, who represents Surulere Constituency I, had come to beg for forgiveness, seeking reintegration into the All Progressives Congress fold in Lagos after a bruising political battle that had left his career hanging by a thread. "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 in the video that has since gone viral, adding the Yoruba plea, "Ema binu baba," meaning "Don't be angry, Daddy."
The apology, which took place during a meeting with Gbajabiamila and other party chieftains, was not Elliot's first. Months earlier, during an appearance on TVC's Your View, he had publicly appealed to Gbajabiamila for forgiveness, describing any misunderstanding between them as unintentional and calling the Chief of Staff his "egbon"—his elder brother. "I grew up learning everything I knew in politics through him," Elliot had said at the time. "To err is human, to forgive is divine. So I'm sorry, my daddy, if I've offended you in any way." But the latest apology, delivered on bended knee and witnessed by party stalwarts, carries a weight that words alone could not convey. It is an admission of political vulnerability, a recognition that without Gbajabiamila's backing, Elliot's path back to power is uncertain at best.
The roots of the rift go back to the Lagos State House of Assembly leadership crisis of January 2025, when Mudashiru Obasa was removed as Speaker. Gbajabiamila later disclosed that the crisis nearly cost him his position as Tinubu's Chief of Staff after intelligence reports allegedly linked Elliot to moves surrounding the speakership tussle. Gbajabiamila said the President had confronted him over Elliot's alleged involvement, a claim Elliot denied, insisting he was outside the country when Obasa was initially removed and only signed the impeachment document after returning to Nigeria. The damage, however, was done. The relationship between mentor and protégé had fractured, and the consequences would soon become painfully clear.
In May 2026, when Elliot sought a fourth term in the Lagos State House of Assembly, he withdrew from the APC primary midway, alleging that his supporters were being intimidated and subjected to political pressure. He rejected the outcome and vowed to challenge the process through the party's appeal mechanism. But the appeal went nowhere. When the results were announced, Elliot had polled a humiliating 270 votes, while his opponent, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, secured 11,385 votes. Odunuga-Bakare was widely believed to enjoy Gbajabiamila's backing, and her landslide victory was a clear signal that the Chief of Staff's political machinery had swung against the man he once mentored. Elliot, the three-term lawmaker who had once seemed untouchable in Surulere politics, had been decisively defeated.
In the aftermath of the loss, Elliot returned to Nollywood, appearing on movie sets and sparking speculation that he had abandoned politics for good. But the lure of power is difficult to resist, and the video of him on his knees before Gbajabiamila suggests that Elliot is not ready to walk away. His apology is a calculated political move, an attempt to mend fences with the man whose support he needs to rebuild his career. Whether it will work remains to be seen. Gbajabiamila asked him to stand up after the prostration, a gesture that could be interpreted as a willingness to forgive, or simply as a courtesy to a man who had once been a trusted ally. The Chief of Staff has not publicly commented on whether Elliot will be accepted back into the fold, and the party leadership has remained silent on the matter.
For Elliot, the stakes could not be higher. His political future depends on whether Gbajabiamila and the Lagos APC leadership are willing to forgive and forget. In a political environment where loyalty is paramount and perceived betrayal is rarely forgotten, the road back will be long and uncertain. The video of his prostration has been shared widely on social media, drawing mixed reactions. Some have praised him for his humility, while others have mocked him for what they see as desperation. But for Elliot, the calculus is simple: without the backing of the party establishment, he cannot win. And without winning, the political career that began with so much promise in 2015 may be over.
The episode is a stark reminder of the realities of Lagos politics, where ambition is nothing without the blessing of the godfathers who control the levers of power. Desmond Elliot learned that lesson the hard way. Now, on his knees before the man he once called his political father, he is hoping that forgiveness will be granted, and that the door to power will be reopened. Whether Gbajabiamila extends that hand of grace, or leaves him to ponder what might have been, is a question only time will answer. For now, all Elliot can do is wait and hope that his apology is enough.
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