By Afeez Hanafi, Dalhatu Liman (Abuja) and Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin)
The embattled Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), Dr Dakorinama Alabo George, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to appointees, who aspired for elective positions, to resign ahead of primaries, ‘does not stand.’
Tinubu had directed all his appointees, who intended to contest elective offices in 2027, to resign on or before March 31, 2026.
George, who was Commissioner for Works in Rivers State during the administrations of former Governor Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, had reportedly resigned from the BCDA to contest the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in the state. He, however, withdrew from the contest held on May 21, 2026 at the last minute.
The Presidency had announced his replacement with a former spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, in a statement dated June 26, by a presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
But nearly one month after the announcement, George has remained in office as the head of the agency, insisting that Namdas’ appointment was an error and that he never resigned.
‘The Presidency through the office of the SGF will be in a better place to answer you pls,’ he had said in a now-deleted WhatsApp response.
Onanuga had faulted George’s claim in a terse response to Daily Trust, saying, ‘Not true. Namdas stays.’
He has not responded to an inquiry on why George remains in office, despite the new appointment.
Amid the impasse, George continues to hold official engagements as the BCDA head, among which was a recent meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, in Abuja, where he appealed for timely budget releases to the agency.
Sources had told our correspondent that George was being backed by some persons within the Presidency and powerful individuals, including the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Wike.
Efforts to get the minister’s comment on the claim were unsuccessful as his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, did not respond to an inquiry sent to him.
Last Tuesday, a day after Daily Trust’s publication on the matter, George reached out to one of our correspondents via WhatsApp, commenting on the report.
‘I have my appointment letter to the office and no one else does so there’s no dual leadership,’ he wrote, adding a subtle threat. ‘Just be careful about your misleading stories so it doesn’t end in litigation.’
‘This will be my last discussion with you on this subject matter,’ he noted.
When asked if he resigned before he picked nomination forms for the governorship primaries, he said, ‘Don’t you know where to find out? Don’t chat me up again.’
Directive doesn’t stand, law does – George
A few minutes later, George sent another WhatsApp text to Daily Trust, citing Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, ostensibly to justify his stay in the office despite the President’s directive.
‘On a final note, just to educate you, let me help you with this: Section 88(1). Key Points on Resignation Timing: This provision effectively requires political appointees to resign before participating in primaries (as aspirants or delegates) to avoid violating the law. However, it does not mandate a specific timeline like ‘at least 30 days’ or ‘one day before,” he wrote.
He further argued that legal interpretations – including from lawmakers – and expert commentary indicated that resignation can occur anytime before the primaries, ‘including potentially the day before or ensuring they are no longer in office on the day of the event.’
George said the law is particular about not holding the appointment during participation on the day of the primaries.
‘So if you withdraw from contesting a day before the primaries, you don’t need to resign. But if you’re really contesting you must resign at least a day before the primaries. The law didn’t say resign before picking forms. The law is the law and anything outside the law (even a directive) does not stand.
‘So technically there was no vacancy. Someone erroneously misinformed the Presidency that there was a directive and an announcement was made but when they found out that there was no resignation it was quickly corrected,’ he stated.