Princess Samiat Bada-Onikosi, Ikosi-Isheri LCDA APC Vice Chairmanship elect
With so many elections under her belt in so many years, the Nigerian polity remains unchanged and stinks acridly of corruption, barbarism, consciencelessness and the tragic abuse of power.
The 22nd of July, 2017 witnessed this barbaric display of power at the KioKio polling unit, Ward G in Ajegunle, Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, by the Vice-Chairmanship candidate, Princess Samiat Bola Onikosi of the All Progressives Congress during the Lagos state L.G.A. elections. Princess Samiat Bola Onikosi set her thugs on Kosofe Inside-Out’s LASIEC accredited election observer, Emmanuel Ogunleye, a team leader of the Kosofe Inside-Out Election Monitoring team, and also had him arrested by members of the Nigerian Police Force.

I thought Candidates were supposed to vote and leave the polling units, and not canvass votes on the spot while also constituting a nuisance at the polling unit. Reports reaching us have it that this said candidate was seen at the eight polling units in the area pulling her weight and intimidating agents of other parties and voters alike, while also harassing the press. Close on her heels everywhere she went were her thugs; eyes red, their demeanour menacing, geared to do damage to anybody who “stepped out of line”. Well…they got their chance when their “Handler” unleashed them to beat the living daylights out of Emmanuel Ogunleye right in the presence of Policemen who did nothing to help the poor man. Instead, at the order of this raging candidate, the same officers flung the victim into their patrol van and whisked him away to Owode Onirin Police station, after confiscating his phone and personal effects.
I thought the Police are supposed to protect and serve…but these ones just stood there looking on like Zombies as a grave injustice was meted out on an innocent election observer, and were only spurred to action by the candidate’s orders, to “Arrest this boy”…which they did diligently, as the “hard working Officers” that they are.   
What was Ogunleye’s offence?
He took pictures with his phone capturing the activities of electorates at the polling station, not leaving out the threat to win votes by the candidate and her dogs…errm, sorry, I meant thugs in their nuisance status.
With the thugs and their Boss barking and hurling threats in the background a helpless Ogunleye was forced by the Police, to unlock his phone and delete the report and all the pictures he had taken.
Challenged vehemently by the enraged Publisher of Kosofe Inside-Out,  Mr Lekan Lawal, who arrived the station to get Ogunleye out of police custody, the over hassled and frustrated D.P.O. of Owode Onirin Police station blurted out ‘Aaaah! You don’t know these Politicians; I don’t want their trouble o’.
I shake the head in my mind…a tragic situation it is when Police officers jump to attention to carry out the orders of a contesting candidate. One can only wonder what will happen when that candidate gets into office.
So, now innocent Nigerians can be brutalized by Politicians while the Police will siddon look…all because they don’t want “their trouble”.
Where does this leave us? To defend ourselves? Or lie down and die?
I thought things were supposed to change.
Onuwabhagbe Obinyan
Onus77@gmail.com