In a meeting with British officials, he clearly protested the cession of Sarawak to the British Crown; stating that the cession is illegal as the cession is not accepted by majority of the Bumiputra. Abdillah was a major proponent of Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke as the fourth White Rajah of Sarawak. However, the cession went on and he resigned from the State Supreme Council. He then started to oppose the British government in his speeches. Datu Abdillah opposed the use of violence. Realising the political threat, government officials in Sarawak were sent Circular no.9, which threaten the officials to be fired if they oppose the British Crown. Perhaps following the footsteps of Datu Patinggi, many of the Bumiputra officials resigned from their posts. Fearing a revolt, the British government resorted to the divide and conquer tactic. The British tried to spark the sense of animosity between the Malays and the Dayaks, however with little success.