Presidency Clears Air on Claims Tinubu Is Sidelining Buhari Loyalists

The presidency has cleared the air on claims that President Bola Tinubu is sidelining politicians loyal to former President Muhammadu Buhari in favour of his own allies. Speaking on the Mic On podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, denied that members of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc—popularly referred to as the “Buhari boys”—have been pushed aside in the current administration.

Dare stressed that it is within the president’s constitutional right to form his cabinet based on his discretion. “The first criteria for you to be appointed is that you are a Nigerian,” he said. “It’s not whether you are a Tinubu boy or a Buhari boy.”

Pressed further on the perception that key positions in the economy are now held by Tinubu loyalists, often called the “Lagos boys,” Dare explained that trust plays a major role in leadership appointments. “As a leader, you must also bring in lieutenants that you trust,” he said. “When he was governor, he had people that served him and over the years, they have been with him throughout the journey.”

He insisted there is no deliberate effort to sideline any political faction. “Any oath you take when you’re sworn in is not to any president, but to the Nigerian constitution and the Nigerian people,” he added.