ABUJA — A major administrative and political crisis has erupted within the Presidency following a standoff at the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), where the immediate past Executive Secretary, Dr. Dakorinama Alabo George, has reportedly refused to relinquish control despite President Bola Tinubu publicly appointing his successor.
The impasse follows an earlier presidential directive ordering all government appointees harbouring 2027 political ambitions to step down. In compliance, George—an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike—announced his resignation to contest the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Rivers State.
On June 26, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued an official statement announcing former House of Representatives spokesperson, Hon. Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, as George’s replacement.
However, weeks after the official announcement, Namdas has been unable to assume duties as George quietly returned to occupy the agency’s top seat in Abuja.
The Rivers Primary Pull-Out and Office Re-Occupation
Trouble reportedly started after George pulled out of the Rivers APC governorship primary to pave the way for Wike’s preferred political candidate, Kingsley Chinda.
Insiders at the agency reveal that following his withdrawal, George made his way back to the BCDA headquarters without a formal reinstatement or fresh presidential appointment.
Staff members, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that George never fully handed over administrative operations or vacated his office during the primary election period, continuing to draw state resources and preside over official duties.
Earlier this month, official photographs released by third-party media outlets showed George holding high-level government meetings in Abuja—including a session with Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele to seek fund releases for BCDA projects—where he was still identified as the sitting Executive Secretary.
SGF Withholding Appointment Letter?
The crisis has exposed deep friction within the machinery of government. Sources familiar with the impasse allege that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has withheld the formal appointment letter of the newly designated Director-General, Abdulrazak Namdas.
The delay has paralyzed administrative transitions at the agency, creating a dual-leadership dynamic where a publicly replaced official continues to exercise executive powers over a presidential appointee.
Despite public confirmations from presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga reiterating that Namdas remains the President’s approved appointee, George continues to hold sway at the agency’s headquarters, backed by powerful political patronage within the administration.
Opposition Firestorm and Institutional Concerns
The saga has drawn fierce condemnation from opposition leaders and legal practitioners, who describe the development as a embarrassing breakdown of administrative order.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) issued statements criticizing the administration over the debacle, arguing that the inability to enforce a presidential directive reflects a dangerous collapse of institutional discipline within the Presidency.
“It will be difficult to understand how someone whose resignation was accepted and whose replacement has been publicly announced can continue to function in that office,” noted Abuja-based constitutional analysts, calling on the President to immediately assert authority over his appointees.
Neither Dr. George nor the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has issued an official defense regarding the withheld transition, as the power struggle for the control of the BCDA continues to unfold in Abuja.
