How and Why Suleiman Abba was fired by the Presidency

The Presidency on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 replaced unceremoniously after less than 9months in office as the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The Head Force Criminal and Investigation Department (FCID), Assistant Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase was asked to take over from Abba in acting capacity until he is made substantive IGP making him the 18^th IGP in the history of Nigeria. No reason was given for his removal in a statement by Dr. Reuben Abati, the Presidency Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.  

A day after the sacking of Abba, facts are emerging from the Presidency as to how the former IGP incensed the President and led to his replacement. The media mills are awash with what Suleiman Abba did wrong that angered the Presidency and among these were security breaches, disloyalty, partisanship, insubordinations and fraternizing with the opposition among others.

On Wednesday, April 22, 2015 a local newspaper, the Nation, insinuated that the Presidency fired the former IGP Suleiman Abba based on the First Lady’s pressure on the President to sack the former IGP as a result of his refusal to act on an instruction given to him to provide police security supports that will ensure Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins the election in Rivers State by instructing his men to act as she direct them.

Abba on the contrary told his men in the state to be professional and non-partisan in the conduct of their responsibilities during the gubernatorial elections. He specifically sent a directive to the state instructing the State Police Commissioner not to act on directive coming from any other person except from him even though he has been ordered by the President through a letter to his office to move the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to Akwa Ibom. This conduct greatly annoyed the First lady.

The refusal carry out the presidential instruction gin to him and subsequently leakage of president’s directive on Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunde Ogunsakin be redeployed to Akwa Ibom to facilitate easy run of the gubernatorial and state house of assembly polls for the First Lady’s candidates and lackeys. Abba did not only refused to act on order from the Presidency, he leaked the content of the document to the press community creating additional publicity burden for the president.

Also, while other service chiefs showed much commitment to the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan Abba acted otherwise. Prior to and during the 2015 general elections the Presidency had demanded commitment and loyalty of the service chiefs in key state security institutions. Abba chose and preferred professionalism. 

For instance, it was rumoured that the police men and women at the International Centre used as the presidential election collation venue were ordered by the Presidency to leave the venue to provide a safe passage for former Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Orubebe to disrupt or abduct the INEC Chairman, Professor Atahiru Jega if necessary to stop further collation and announcement of result from the states in a bid to declare the election inconclusive. The police men and women at the venue ignored the order and stayed put as directed by Abba.  

Clandestine meeting and open fraternisation with the opposition also irked and irritated the sensibility of the Presidency. One case in point is his open display of partisanship and association with president-elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). His presence at the presentation of certificate of return to the Buhari without being invited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was seen by the Presidency as an abuse of IGP office. 

Though, President Jonathan demanded loyalty from all his service chiefs till the expiration of his administration on May 29,2015 but grapevine and rumour mongering had that the Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullah Dikko and his counterpart in the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence  Corps, Ade Abolurin among other had visited Daura, the home town of the president-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). 

Whatever will be the fate of other key state security officers remains to be seen but one by one the service chiefs are doing what needs to done to secure their jobs after the expiration of President Goodluck Jonathan on May, 2015.