Embattled BCDA Executive Secretary Dakorinama Alabo George has refused to vacate office despite being replaced by Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, insisting President Tinubu’s directive for appointees to resign before primaries “does not stand,” a claim legal experts have disputed.
The embattled Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), Dr Dakorinama Alabo George, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive requiring appointees who aspired for elective positions to resign ahead of primaries “does not stand.”
Daily Trust reports that Tinubu had directed all appointees intending to contest elective offices in 2027 to resign on or before March 31, 2026. George, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Works, reportedly resigned from the BCDA to contest the APC governorship primary but withdrew at the last minute on May 21, 2026.
The Presidency subsequently announced his replacement with former House of Representatives spokesperson, Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, in a statement dated June 26, signed by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
Nearly a month later, George remains in office, insisting Namdas’ appointment was an error and that he never resigned. Onanuga has since faulted George’s claim, telling Daily Trust bluntly, “Not true. Namdas stays.”
Amid the impasse, George has continued official engagements as BCDA head, including a recent meeting with the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, where he appealed for timely budget releases to the agency. Sources say George is being backed by figures within the Presidency and powerful individuals, including FCT Minister Wike, though efforts to reach Wike’s spokesperson were unsuccessful.
George also cited Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act to justify his continued stay, arguing the law does not specify a strict resignation timeline before primaries.
However, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Salman Jawondo, dismissed this defence, stating that the President retains the constitutional power to appoint and remove appointees at will, regardless of resignation status. Another lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, echoed this, citing the Interpretation Act’s principle that “the person who has the power to appoint also has the power to remove.”
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