Analyst Reveals Prominent Members of Five Cabal Groups in Tinubu Administration

Author and public affairs commentator, Charles Omole, has alleged that multiple cabals are operating within President Bola Tinubu’s government, naming the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, as prominent figures within some of the groups.

Omole made the allegation on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s *Politics Today*, where he argued that the presence of cabals around a president is not unusual in Nigeria’s political history. According to him, every Nigerian president has had powerful groups clustered around the seat of power, but the danger lies in the absence of strong systems to prevent abuse of influence.

“The president will always have people around him,” Omole said. “But you need to put systems in place to avoid state capture or presidential capture because, for example, the current government has, from what I can see, at least five cabals within the presidency.”

He further claimed that one of the cabals is effectively led by President Tinubu himself, based on his personal assessment of how power is structured within the administration. “And the interesting thing about one of the cabals actually is headed by the president himself, based on my own analysis,” he said.

Omole went on to outline what he described as the composition of the various groups. He identified one group centered around the office of the Chief of Staff, which he said is led by Femi Gbajabiamila and includes influential figures such as Wike and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. “There is the Chief of Staff group headed by Femi Gbajabiamila. And by that I mean not just him, but there are people in that circle like the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu,” he stated.

According to Omole, another group is linked to Seyi Tinubu and comprises individuals he allegedly assisted in securing government appointments. “Secondly, you have the Seyi Tinubu group consisting of those he helped get some government appointments and all that,” he said. He also identified a separate cabal associated with the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu.

Omole’s comments came a few days after the public unveiling of his book, *From Soldier to Statesman – The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari*, in Abuja. Drawing comparisons with the previous administration, he alleged that cabals played a significant role in shaping decision-making under Buhari, particularly in managing information reaching the president.

He claimed that although Buhari was known to enjoy reading newspapers, there were reports that influential figures around him altered this routine. “While Buhari loved reading newspapers, there were reports that the cabal created a version of newspapers that planted stories they wanted him to read,” Omole said.

Buhari governed Nigeria as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023. His tenure, according to Omole, illustrated how unchecked influence groups can shape governance outcomes when institutional safeguards are weak.