There Are 5 Cabals Around Tinubu Now — Omole

Renowned political analyst and author of ‘Muhammadu Buhari: From Soldier To Statesman’, Dr. Charles Omole, has claimed that incumbent President Bola Tinubu government has at least five powerful cabals operating within it and around the Presidency, warning that their competing interests could slow down decision-making and encourage “presidential capture.”

Omole made the claim on Thursday night during an interview on Channels Television’s current affairs programme, ‘Politics Today’, where he analysed power dynamics within the current administration.

According to him, one of the cabals, headed by President Tinubu himself, comprised his long-time friends like Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Segun Osoba, among others, while others included what he described as the Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila–Wike group, followed by the President’s son Seyi Tinubu group, the First Lady Remi Tinubu group, and another cluster of influential actors around the President he described as the ‘Young Turks’ led by the Private Secretary to the President, Muri Okunola.

“Presidents will always have people around them,” Omole said. “But you need to put systems in place to avoid state capture or presidential capture, for want of a better word.”

Explaining his use of the term “cabal,” Omole said it referred to individuals with proximity to power and the capacity to influence policy and decisions. “If you look at the word cabal, cabals are people who have proximity to power and who have the ability to influence policy and decisions. In this current administration, from what I can see, you have at least five groups.”

He identified the first as a group around the Chief of Staff, which he linked to influential political actors. “Number one, there is the Chief of Staff group and by that I don’t just mean him alone, but people in his circle. You add to that people like Wike, the NSA, and others around that circle,” he said.

Omole said the second cabal revolves around the President’s son. “You have the Seyi Tinubu pathway. That’s another circle. Oh yes, the boy is that powerful and also the people he helped to put in government.”

The third group, he noted, is associated with the First Lady. “You can’t rule that out. She has her own team,” he said.

He further identified the fourth cabal made up of younger aides who control access to the President. “There’s the group of young Turks around the President, the Principal Secretary, the AOs, the CSO. Those ones that control access; they form their own cabal.”

According to Omole, the fifth cabal is one led by the President himself, made up largely of older political figures. “The fifth cabal, with the President as head himself, are what I call the geriatrics. There are quite a few old people that have influence on the government, people he listens to,” he said, adding that some of them had complained of restricted access to the President.

He warned that the presence of multiple power blocs could be counterproductive. “Part of the danger of having multiple cabals like that is that decision-making is slower. One cabal pushes a decision, the others fight against it, and it takes a while for the man to make a decision.”

Omole also noted that internal rivalries often determine outcomes. “Whoever gets to the President first, when he hears the story and takes action, probably gets the upper hand,” he said.

LEADERSHIP reports that Omole’s latest book, which was unveiled on Monday at the Aso Rock Villa Conference Centre in the presence of President Bola Tinubu and members of Buhari’s family, has attracted widespread attention.