“Every Government Has a Cabal — Including Buhari’s,” Says Ibrahim Gambari

Former Chief of Staff to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Gambari, has confirmed that a small influential group — often referred to as a cabal — operated within the Buhari presidency. Gambari made the remark in an interview with Laolu Akande, former spokesperson to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, set to air on Friday.

Responding candidly, Gambari noted that the presence of such inner circles is not unique to Buhari’s administration but is common to every government. “There was a cabal, but every government has a cabal,” he said. “Some call it a kitchen cabinet, some a think tank. Obasanjo had a group — the Aboyades and others — a small group of trusted people.”

He emphasized that the nature of presidential office requires a leader to have confidants, both within and outside of government, with whom they can speak freely. According to him, these informal groups vary in influence and structure, but their role in governance is a recurring feature in leadership across administrations.

Public discourse on the influence of cabals in Nigerian governance intensified in 2018 when Aisha Buhari, the president’s wife, publicly criticized the undue influence of a select few in her husband’s government. President Buhari, however, dismissed her concerns at the time.

More recently, Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports under Buhari, drew comparisons between the cabals of Buhari and current President Bola Tinubu. Dalung described Tinubu’s circle as more dangerous, politically experienced, and educated than what he called the “less educated and inexperienced” clique that surrounded Buhari. He warned that the Tinubu cabal poses an even greater threat due to its ambition and mastery of power dynamics.

Gambari’s remarks reaffirm a long-standing perception in Nigerian politics — that power often resides not just in elected offices but in the hands of those behind the scenes.