Chuks Okocha in Abuja Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withdraw from the 2027 presidential election, citing the lingering leadership dispute at the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) as evidence of what he described as a breakdown in governance. Also, the leadership of ADC has declared that Tinubu has “lost control” of his administration, citing the reported leadership crisis at the Border Communities Development Agency as evidence of a Presidency where official appointments can allegedly be ignored without consequence raising serious questions about who is really in control of the administration. The controversy stems from President Tinubu’s earlier announcement replacing Dakorinama Alabo George, who is reportedly backed by Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, with former House of Representatives member Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas as Director General of the BCDA. However, weeks after the announcement, George reportedly continued to function as the agency’s chief executive, remaining listed on the BCDA’s official website and continuing to perform official duties, including attending meetings with government officials. Reacting in a statement through his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the situation as a serious embarrassment that raises questions about the administration’s ability to enforce its own decisions. According to the former vice president, the unresolved leadership tussle reflects growing administrative confusion within the federal government and undermines Nigeria’s credibility before investors and the international community. “How does a president publicly appoint a new head of a federal agency, yet weeks later the person said to have been replaced remains in office, continues to exercise authority, appears on the agency’s official website as its chief executive, and even holds official meetings with ministers?” Atiku asked. He argued that the recurring controversies surrounding the Tinubu administration—from policy reversals to institutional disputes and worsening economic hardship—have weakened public confidence in government. Atiku urged the Presidency to immediately clarify the legal status of the BCDA leadership and ensure that the President’s directives are fully implemented. He further advised President Tinubu to focus on addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and governance challenges instead of preparing for another election cycle, suggesting that the President should consider stepping aside from the 2027 presidential race. Toeing the same line, in a statement issued by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, the party said the BCDA dispute, together with the earlier Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal and a pattern of policy reversals, suggests that unelected individuals may have hijacked the President’s constitutional powers to appoint and remove public officers. The ADC called on the National Assembly to activate the relevant constitutional provisions to ascertain the President’s fitness to continue in office, arguing that if he can no longer assert control over his government, he should resign. It said that it is deeply alarmed by yet another bizarre episode in the affairs of the federal government, where a man publicly removed from office by presidential directive reportedly continues to occupy that same office and still hold meetings with senior officials of the same government . The ADC further said, ”If the reports concerning the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) are true, then this is no longer about one disputed appointment. It is about something far more disturbing: who is actually in charge of the Nigerian Presidency? When a President announces the appointment of one person and another simply ignores that directive and carries on in office. ”Nigeria is no longer witnessing administrative confusion. We are witnessing a struggle for control of the Presidency itself. “The BCDA episode cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident because it follows a growing and disturbing pattern. Nigerians are still watching in bewilderment, the embarrassing spectacle of the so-called phantom Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a government agency that officially did not exist, yet somehow operated at the highest level of government, and conducted itself with the confidence of a legitimate institution until issues arose relating to his alleged collaboration with the President’s Chief of Staff.” Abdullahi said that ”Taken together, these episodes reveal a Presidency steadily losing its monopoly over one of the most fundamental powers of government: the constitutional authority
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