Every president has a cabal, says Buhari’s ex-Chief of Staff

Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, former Chief of Staff to the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has dismissed claims that a secretive cabal controlled power during Buhari’s administration, insisting that every president operates with an inner circle.

Gambari, a retired diplomat, made the remarks on Monday while appearing on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, reflecting on governance under Buhari and addressing controversies surrounding the presidency.

His comments come amid ongoing debates about the influence of unelected power brokers during Buhari’s eight-year tenure, with critics accusing a so-called cabal of sidelining formal institutions.

“Every president has a cabal of a sort,” Gambari said. “You might call them the inner circle or the inner caucus—people close to the president with shared experiences and insights, who can speak to him directly. Sadly, some cabals tend to tell the president not what he needs to know, but what he wants to hear. They exist in every government. Some are more influential than others, some more faithful to principle, but they all exist.”

He added that the influence of Buhari’s aides was limited by the former president’s personal leadership style. “Sometimes more powers are ascribed to this cabal than actually exist. The people often called the cabal in Buhari’s administration knew their limitations and dared not push beyond them,” Gambari explained.

Gambari also highlighted Buhari’s “creative stubbornness,” comparing it to the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. “He had a clear belief and direction he wanted to pursue,” he said.

Addressing the bizarre conspiracy theory that Buhari had been replaced by a body double nicknamed “Jibril of Sudan,” Gambari laughed off the claims. “I had no doubt that he was the Buhari I knew in 1984 and beyond. It was a silly idea. But the fact that some believed it shows how some people assume the worst about any president.”

He recounted Buhari discussing past experiences from the 1980s, including working with General Tunde Idiagbon, underscoring the president’s value for loyalty.

Gambari concluded by emphasizing the importance of competent and loyal aides. “A president, in many ways, can be only as good as the people who support and back him,” he said.