Crisis Rocks Federal Agency As Wike’s Ally Defies Tinubu’s Replacement Order

A crisis is reportedly brewing in the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) over a leadership position.

According to a report by Daily Trust, a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State,  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.

Naija News reports that the development comes amid 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 intend to contest elective offices in the forthcoming 2027 general elections to resign their appointments on or before March 31, 2026.

George allegedly resigned to contest in the governorship primaries in Rivers alongside Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Kingsley Chinda and Tonye Cole.

The Presidency, in a statement dated June 26 by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced Namnas as the new head of the agency.

It was observed that although the website lists “Executive Secretary” as the head of the agency, the Presidency uses “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.

Daily Trust 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 that although 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’s property.

In a report sighted by the publication, George is on the list of 80 screened aspirants with the status ‘cleared,’ ‘not cleared,’ or ‘withdrawn.’ His name appears at 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.

A source said that 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

Another source alleged that 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 the aforementioned publication 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.

Meanwhile, Onanuga maintained that Dr George has been replaced with Namnas 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 the publication.

Despite his replacement by the Presidency, 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, Taiwo Oyedele, last Thursday, during which he appealed for timely budget releases to the agency. Pictures of the meeting were posted on Facebook.