Lagos State is blessed with some of the finest and brightest politicians the country could possibly boast of. The man of the moment, the one regarded as the Master Political Strategist in the land as we speak, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is from Lagos. And of course, you can go and on counting the impressive assemblage of politicians he has produced. They are everywhere stuttering our political landscape. But if you ask around, you will be told that one of the youngest and brightest of the lot, who represents proudly the future of Lagos politics, is the brilliant and articulate Lawmaker called Hon. Desmond Elliot.
He needs a little introduction. Hon. Desmond Olusola Elliot is the Lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency 1. And he has been a fantastic representative of his people. Currently, in his second term, he has done remarkably well. It is no wonder that his people don’t joke with him. The young admire him, the elderly adore him. His humility makes it so very easy for them to warm up to him. You can never catch him going about with an air of arrogance, he understands clearly that to be a successful politician, you must be warm and open to your people and give them unhindered access to you. And that is exactly how Desmond Elliot relates with his people. This is why, in Surulere today, you could get yourself into trouble if you go around the constituency casting aspersions on their beloved son, Hon. Desmond Elliot.
The huge support and love he enjoys from his people shone through last Friday when Hon. Desmond Elliot put together his second Free Medical & Surgical Outreach. It was a big success. Not only did over a thousand people come out to seek medical help and benefit from the program, others simply came to support and appreciate the man they have all grown to respect as a person and as their representative at the Lagos State House of Assembly. And he reciprocated their love. He gave back to them just as much love and affection that he got from them. Hon. Desmond Elliot mingled with the crowd freely and personally attended to many of the patients waiting to see the doctors. He was particularly patient with the elderly and showed them such profound love that had many nodding their heads in obvious appreciation of his love for the weak and aged. He would hold their hands, hug them and lead them to their seats. It must be said that there were a handful of young pretty looking ladies who were hoping to get the attention of the dashing lawmaker and accomplished actor, but he barely noticed them. His eyes and focus were strictly on the weak and aged.
To prove even further that the respected Lawmaker is fast becoming one of the political personalities to reckon with in Lagos, he attracted two of the biggest political powerhouses in the land to his program as Special Guests of Honour. First to make a tumultuous appearance was the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa. He came in with his entourage and immediately changed the entire atmosphere of the program. Everyone, including those receiving medical attention from the doctors, struggled to get a good view of the number three man in Lagos. The second and arguably the bigger powerhouse of the two, is the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. He came in shortly after the Speaker left the Love Garden arena venue of the program in Gbaja, Surulere, and the cheers and noise that greeted his arrival were deafening. It was expected. He is not just the son of the soil, he is the landlord of the community and he had come to say hello to his people.
It is very obvious these two political juggernauts love and support Desmond Elliot. It is no mean feat to get any of these two to attend your program. They both spoke so highly of him. Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa particularly asked the people of Surulere to continue to support their own and ensure that Hon. Desmond Elliot remains their Lawmaker if they want continuity of the dividends of democracy that he has been providing for them over the years.
Hear him: “I have no doubts, that in Surulere, we have some of the most educated voters in the state, so you know how important it is to support your representatives. Well, we have an example already. We have the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives from Surulere. And he didn’t just become Speaker, he became Speaker because he has been in the House for quite some time. I think he’s in his 5th term right now. So, it is always beneficial to the constituency that you continue to support your representatives and I’m sure you all know that Hon. Desmond Elliot is competent, he’s knowledgeable and he’s honourable and qualified. He has been doing very well since he became your representative. Continue to support him. When the time for election time comes, vote for him so that he can do more for you. If you choose to do otherwise, it’s not going to affect him but it will affect the constituency. No matter who you send to replace him, that person will not have the competence and knowledge to bring something tangible for this constituency. So, I am assuring you that Desmond is a good representative for the constituency and a competent one, so I want to urge you to continue to support him. At least, you can see from what is going on here, he’s doing this on his own in conjunction with our doctors here who are offering their services for free. Nobody paid a kobo for the medical services they are receiving here today. There are so many other benefits like this to come, this is why you must stand by Desmond Elliot at all times and give him your support.”
And the crowd cheered him on every step of the way, assuring the Speaker of their unwavering support for Hon. Desmond Elliot. They guaranteed him of their votes and pledged they would ensure he goes on to serve them for many more terms.
-WALE LAWAL
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