In what appears to be a twist of fate, as embattled Desmond Eliot is losing the APC ticket to return to the Lagos State House of Assembly, over his role in the attempted impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker of the house and the enthronement of the deputy speaker, Mojisola Meranda, the deputy speaker has won the APC House of Assembly primary for Apapa Constituency I.
She
polled 2,926 votes to defeat three other candidates in the exercise conducted
by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The
primaries, held at Ijora Oloye Nursery and Primary School, Ijora, on Wednesday,
began around 1:00 pm and was peaceful despite a large turnout.
Delegates
and agents had arrived from 9:00 am, while DSS, police and NSCDC personnel
provided security at the venue.
Four
candidates contested the sole ticket: Meranda, Esan Adedotun, Mike Egbayelo and
Elizabeth Toluwalope.
Meranda
arrived at the venue around 12:45 pm to cheers from supporters. She said, “I
thank you all for the support; it is massive.”
The
APC youth leader in Ijora, Adams Aremu, told the News Agency of Nigeria that
Meranda enjoyed strong grassroots support and described the primaries as a
“victory day” for her.
He
added that her projects across the constituency cut across wards and had
attracted widespread community backing, including support for small businesses.
Another
party executive, Joseph Layode, said residents had spoken through their votes
and praised her performance in office. He said, “She could become the next
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.”
A
delegate, Folasade Ojomo, said continuity was best for the constituency and
backed Meranda’s leadership.
In a
separate result from an earlier exercise held across five wards in Apapa
Constituency I, Meranda also polled 6,062 votes against her closest rival, Ayo
Vaughan, who got 1,385 votes.
Meranda
dedicated the victory to members of the party in her constituency.
She
said in a statement on Thursday, “To the leaders of our great party, the
dedicated delegates, my political family, and the good people of Apapa
Constituency I, I express my deepest gratitude for the overwhelming show of
love, trust, and confidence reposed in me at the just concluded APC primaries.
“This
victory is not mine alone; it belongs to every person who believes in our
shared vision of progress, unity, and purposeful representation. Your support
humbles me and strengthens my resolve to continue serving with diligence,
loyalty, and unwavering commitment to the growth and development of our
constituency.”
She
also pledged to continue working for the interest of her constituents.
She
said, “I do not take this renewed mandate for granted, and by the grace of God,
I will continue to work tirelessly for the peace, progress, and prosperity of
our people.”
It would
be recalled that the attempted impeachment of the speaker of the house,
Mudashiru Obasa, which led to the brief enthronement of Mojisola Meranda, that
made Desmond Eliot, who has now lost his come back bid, to fall out of favour
with Gbajabiamila, his estranged godfather. Addressing stakeholders in Surulere
recently, Gbajabiamila said he nearly lost his job in the presidency due to
Elliot’s “role” in the impeachment saga.
Gbajabiamila,
who served as speaker of the house of representatives from 2019 to 2023, also
said he had asked Elliot to publicly dissociate himself from the impeachment
plot — a directive he said the lawmaker never obeyed.
Elliot,
however, said he thought the plot to impeach Obasa had the backing of President
Tinubu, saying he was taken aback by Gbajabiamila’s comments, whom he referred
to as “my daddy” during a recent interview on TVC.
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