Charles Omole, a lawyer and author, has claimed that a powerful cabal within the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration routinely planted stories in newspapers to influence what the commander-in-chief read.
Omole made the assertion on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television while discussing his newly launched biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari. The book chronicles the life and leadership record of Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s civilian president from 2015 to 2023.
According to the author, every Nigerian president since 1999 has operated with the influence of a cabal that helped shape policies and decision-making. He argued that such groups are “not necessarily a bad thing” if they align with the president’s vision, describing them as potential “force multipliers” for governance.
Omole said Buhari’s administration was characterised by a single, overarching cabal, unlike the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, which he described as having multiple power blocs.
He identified five distinct cabals in the Tinubu government: groups associated with Femi Gbajabiamila, Seyi Tinubu, First Lady Remi Tinubu, the principal private secretary, and a so-called geriatric camp led by Tinubu himself.
“Every president since 1999 has had his own cabal,” Omole said. “The current administration is more complicated because it has more than one cabal. That comes with both advantages and disadvantages.”
He explained that problems arise when cabals pursue personal agendas rather than the interests of the president or the country.
Omole further revealed that some details were deliberately excluded from the book because they were too sensitive, including claims that members of Buhari’s inner circle exploited his well-known love for newspapers.
“Buhari loved reading newspapers. That was well known,” he said. “There were reports that cabals even went as far as creating or planting stories in newspapers—stories they wanted him to read.”
He concluded that while Buhari dealt with a single dominant cabal, the presence of multiple cabals in the current government presents a different dynamic, with both positive and negative implications for governance.