A leadership crisis is brewing at the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) as a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Dakorinama Alabo George, remains in office as the Executive Secretary, despite his replacement by the Presidency with a former House of Representatives member, Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas.

This is coming on the heels of the ongoing controversy surrounding the ‘phantom’ Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council of which Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi paraded himself as its Director General.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed all political appointees under his administration who intended to contest elective offices in the forthcoming 2027 general elections to resign their appointments on or before March 31, 2026.

The directive was pursuant to the provisions of Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, as well as the timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Though Daily Trust could not independently verify George’s resignation from the BCDA, the Presidency, in a statement dated June 26 by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced Namdas as the new head of the agency.

Our correspondents observed that though the nomenclature “Executive Secretary” is used for the head of the agency on its website, the Presidency adopts “Director General” in its statement.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas as the new Director General of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA). Dr Namdas replaces Dr Dakorinama Alabo George, who resigned to contest for an elective post in his home state.

“A former member of the House of Representatives representing Ganye/Jada/Mayo Belwa/Toungo federal constituency of Adamawa State, Namdas was the spokesperson of the 8th House of Representatives, and an aspirant in the just-concluded governorship primary election in Adamawa State. As a seasoned journalist and public relations practitioner, he also served as Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Boni Haruna of Adamawa State,” the statement published on the State House website read in part.

“All appointments are effective immediately,” it added.

Wike’s ally refuses to vacate office

It was gathered that George, who served as the Commissioner of Works in Rivers under the Wike and Fubara administrations, has refused to vacate the office after the presidential directive and public announcement of his replacement.

Sources said though he had officially resigned to vie for the APC governorship ticket in Rivers, he did not hand over to anyone and discreetly retained control of the office properties.

Daily Trust sighted the ‘Report on APC Screening Exercise for Gubernatorial Aspirants for Primary Election’ dated May 11, 2026 and prepared by the screening Committee Secretary and Deputy National Organising Secretary of the party, Barr. Emeka Okafor.

It reveals that George is on the list of 80 screened aspirants with the status ‘cleared,’ ‘not cleared,’ or ‘withdrawn.’ His name appears on number 65 on the list as “Dr George Alabo” and he was cleared.

However, he withdrew from the contest at the last minute to pave the way for Chida, Wike’s anointed candidate, who consequently emerged as the APC governorship flag bearer in Rivers.

His withdrawal was contained in a TVC News Online report dated May 21 – the day of the APC governorship primaries.

“Dakorinama George-Kelly has withdrawn from the race for the Governor of Rivers State seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, becoming the third aspirant to step down from the party’s governorship contest in Rivers State,” the report partly read.

A source said when George failed to secure the APC governorship ticket, he returned to his office at the agency.

“He is being backed by some government officials, including the FCT Minister. Dr George was Wike’s commissioner of works in Rivers State when the latter was governor. It was also Wike who nominated him for the BCDA position in 2024,” the source said.

Efforts to get the reaction of Mr Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, proved abortive as he was yet to respond to calls and a WhatsApp message sent to him yesterday.

Another source alleged that Dr George’s backers are working with some other powerful officials in the Presidency to ensure he remains in office without the President’s knowledge.

Our correspondent gathered that some of his supporters had posted reports on Facebook claiming that President Tinubu had reappointed him to the role.

“The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in his wisdom, has reversed the erroneous replacement of Dr. Dax George-Kelly as the Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency, BCDA,” one of the posts read.

In a now-deleted WhatsApp response, George directed our correspondent to the Presidency for clarification on his status at the agency, insisting he had never resigned.

“The Presidency through the office of the SGF will be in a better place to answer you pls. But just so you know, at no time did I resign. I never contested cos [because] I withdrew from the race before the primaries. Thanks and have a good day.

“An error was made and it was quickly corrected. That’s the much I can tell you,” he wrote, before deleting the text hours later.

He did not respond to subsequent inquiries.

George not reappointed, Namdas stays – Presidency

Meanwhile, Onanuga maintained that Dr George has been replaced with Namdas as the head of the agency. The presidential spokesperson also faulted George’s claim that he had been reappointed.

“Not true. Namdas stays,” he wrote in a terse response to Daily Trust.

In a pattern consistent with Namdas’ appointment, Tinubu had announced George as “Director General” of the BCDA on March 14, 2024, in a statement by the then Special Adviser to the President, Chief Ajuri Ngelale.

“President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Dakorinama Alabo George as the Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA). Dr. George holds a PhD in Construction Management, an MSc in Quantity Surveying and Construction Engineering, and a B.Tech in Quantity Surveying,” the statement read in part.

Controversial ‘DG’ meets finance minister, seeks timely funding

Daily Trust reports that despite his replacement by the Presidency, Dr George continues to parade himself as the head of the BCDA, holding official meetings weeks after he had been replaced. His profile, with the name ‘Dr George D. A Kelly,’ on the website of the agency – https://bcda.gov.ng/ – still reads as the serving executive secretary.

Among his recent official engagements was a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, last Thursday, during which he appealed for timely budget releases to the agency. Pictures of the meeting were posted on Facebook.

The Nation quoted George as saying during the courtesy visit, that prompt funding would enable the agency to expand its efforts in delivering essential infrastructure and improving the living conditions of millions of Nigerians residing in border communities.

He appreciated President Tinubu for the N50 billion allocation to the BCDA in the 2026 budget, noting that the agency had embarked on cost-effective projects with adequate completion timelines.

“During our meeting, I congratulated the Honourable Minister on his appointment and discussed the need for the timely release of funds to enable the Border Communities Development Agency to complete important projects in Nigeria’s border communities.” (Daily Trust)

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