Can CP Salami Be Fair?

Mr Bolaji Salami is the Ondo State Commissioner of Police who was seen in a viral video preventing the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon Agboola Ajayi, from moving his personal belongings out of the government house. The deputy governor didn’t stop asking the CP if he was a police officer or a member of a political party in the video. As if that was not enough, Mr Bolaji also withdrew his police escort for days.

You won’t discern why Bolaji Salami prevented Agboola Ajayi from moving his personal belongings out of the government house if you’ve not been following the long-time face-off between the State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and Ajayi which would later serve as the reason why the deputy governor left the All Progressives Congress, APC, which under the platform the duo was elected, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Instead of Mr Salami as the Commissioner of Police to conciliate using the worldwide police integrity of justice, fairness and honesty, he took side which presented him to be partisan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have affronted Agboola when he wanted to move his personal belongings out of the government house nor would he have withdrawn his police escorts. CP Salami must not feign ignorance of the danger of withdrawing police security details of a deputy governor in a country like Nigeria that is facing insecurity challenges. He went ahead to put his life as well as that of his family and staff in danger.

However, judging by Ajayi’s partisanship, it is uncertain that he would be fair and honest to the opposition parties in the forthcoming Ondo State’s gubernatorial election, slated for 10th October 2020. Of course, using police officers and other law enforcers to rig elections and scare electorate is not a recent phenomenon in Nigeria’s politics. It has been one of the tools Nigerian political actors for a long time.

Thanks to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for his timely intervention of ordering CP Ajayi Salami, to restore the security details of the deputy governor. However, this is a call to the IGP to as a matter of urgency swap or supplant CP Salami with another state’s commissioner of police so as to prevent the uncertainty which might rear its head from the CP end in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State.