AIG Tunde Ogunsakin out of Rivers, accuses him of being anti-PDP -Presidency orders

The Nigerian presidency has overruled the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and has ordered the immediate redeployment of Tunde Ogunsakin, an Assistant Inspector General of Police, out of Rivers state, for allegedly failing to do the bidding of the Peoples Democratic Party, people familiar with the matter have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The Nigeria Police had on Thursday deployed senior police officers to oversee governorship and state assembly elections in states considered as the likely flash-points on Saturday.
Assistant Inspectors General of Police were deployed to supervise elections in 16 states, including Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, and other potentially troubled spots, a statement from the force had said Thursday.
Mr. Ogunsakin, a former police commissioner in the state, and currently AIG in charge of Zone 6, headquartered in Calabar,was asked to return to Rivers to oversee police deployment for the election there.
Based on the IGP’s directive, Mr. Ogunsakin left his Calabar base and travelled to Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, Friday.
On arrival, he reportedly ordered investigations into reports that PDP supporters were thump-printing ballot papers in some locations in the city.
“He also ordered that some thugs being positioned to foment trouble be restrained,” a source in the Rivers State Command of the Police told PREMIUM TIMES.
Our sources said the AIG rebuffed all efforts by the presidency and the PDP to get him to work for the PDP candidate, Nyesom Wike, in the election.
“The presidency suspects Ogunsakin has sympathy for Amaechi, and has directed the IGP to send him out of the state with immediate effect,” a presidency source said. “I’m sure he should be on his way to Calabar by now.”
Mr. Ogunsakin could not be reached to comment for this story. Calls to his mobile telephone failed to connect suggesting he might be travelling between Port Harcourt and Calabar.

A top police officer at the Rivers Police Command however confirmed that Mr. Ogunsakin hurried out of Port Harcourt Saturday morning following directives from the presidency.