REVEALED: ‘Five cabal groups operating in Tinubu’s govt’

The author of ‘From Soldier to Statesman – The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,’ Charles Omole, has alleged that at least five distinct cabal groups are operating within President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He named some of the  key figures as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu.

He made the assertion on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“The president will always have people around him. 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 said.

“And the interesting thing about one of the cabals actually is headed by the president himself, based on my own analysis.”

Providing further details, Omole said the first group is centred around the Chief of Staff.

“So, in this current administration, at least there are five groups. 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 National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu.”

He also identified another group linked to the President’s son.

“Secondly, you have the Seyi Tinubu’s group consisting of those he helped get some government appointments and all that. And of course, you have the First Lady’s group, Remi Tinubu.”

Omole spoke a few days after the public presentation of his book in Abuja. He also reflected on the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that cabals within that government influenced the handling of Buhari’s health and access to information.

According to him, although Buhari was known for reading newspapers, there were reports that certain individuals created tailored versions of newspapers containing stories they wanted the former president to see.

Former President Buhari governed Nigeria as a democratically elected leader from 2015 to 2023. The Katsina-born politician died in London on 13 July at the age of 82.