The star actor will represent the All Progressives’ Congress in the Lagos State Assembly.

Nigerian home video or Nollywood star, Desmond Elliot, recently won the vote to represent the All Progressives’ Congress, (APC) party in Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State Assembly. He belongs to the same party as President-elect, Mohamadu Buhari.

Nigerian media reported that he polled 23,141 votes as against 12,546 for Bayo Smith of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who came second. Immediately the results were made public, the actor took to Facebook to express his gratitude to those who voted for him and thanked them for believing in him. In a photo posted on Twitter by one of his jubilant supporters, Desmond was seen being bathed with drinks and water to celebrate his victory.

In a post on his social media pages, the 41-year-old expressed gratitude to his supporters saying, “Thank you to all who made it possible. The battle of who wins is over. Let’s begin the battle of how to bless our people and nation. We must not disappoint our people.” Reacting later to his victory, Desmond Elliot reaffirmed: “Today marks a new phase in my life as I have officially launched my journey into Nigerian politics. I reaffirm all my promises to you. We have attained victory together and together we shall also attain ‘The Change We Desire.’ May God bless you all!”

Born to a Yoruba father and an Igbo mother, Elliot, who holds a 2003 Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lagos State University, describes himself as a ‘Pan-African.’ He was influenced by a friend to become an actor and started playing roles in soap operas like “Everyday People,” “One Too Much” and “Saints and Sinners.” He is one of Nollywood's leading actors, having appeared in over 200 films, including “Men Who Cheat,” “Yahoo Millionaire” and “Atlanta.” In 2008, Elliot co-produced and co-directed the movie, "Reloaded," which received three nominations at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2009. In 2009 and 2010, Elliot was nominated for the Best Actor category at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards.