Gambari confirms existence of influential cabal during Buhari presidency

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, has offered rare insights into the inner workings of the former president’s administration, confirming the existence of a powerful cabal and revealing how presidential aides often bypassed official channels to influence decision-making.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources programme on Friday night, Gambari detailed how certain individuals within the presidency exploited Buhari’s informal tendencies to smuggle memos directly to him, contravening the official directive that all communications be routed through the Chief of Staff’s office.

“When I came in as Chief of Staff, [President Buhari] made a public statement that all memos must pass through me before reaching him, even the Vice President complied,” Gambari said. “To his credit, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo always passed his memos through me, as did several ministers. But some individuals still found ways to get their memos to the president from behind because they knew his weak points and who to use. He never stopped them.”

Gambari, a seasoned diplomat and former United Nations envoy, served as Chief of Staff from May 13, 2020, to May 29, 2023. He was appointed following the death of his predecessor, Abba Kyari, who held the position until April 2020.

Despite being formally in charge of presidential communications, Gambari admitted that he often discovered these backdoor memos only after they were returned to his office, explaining the complex and often opaque structure of power that characterised Buhari’s presidency.

Reflecting on Buhari’s leadership style, Gambari described the late president as a compassionate man who was deeply committed to the Nigerian people and loyal to his appointees.

“One of the reasons he was reluctant to remove certain cabinet members, despite overwhelming calls to do so, was his loyalty and affection for those he appointed,” he noted.

Gambari also addressed longstanding speculations about the existence of a “cabal” in Buhari’s presidency. He confirmed its presence, saying that such inner circles are common in governments worldwide, even if they go by different names.

“They say there was a cabal, there was,” he said. “Every government has a cabal. Some call them a kitchen cabinet or a think tank. Under Obasanjo, you had the Aboyades and other close advisers. It’s the nature of the office that the president needs a few trusted people, both within and outside government, to whom he can speak freely.”

While acknowledging that members of Buhari’s inner circle wielded significant influence, Gambari insisted that “they knew their limits.”

He also drew parallels between Buhari’s civilian presidency and his time as military Head of State from 1984 to 1985. Gambari revealed that one of the factors contributing to Buhari’s ouster in the 1985 coup was dissatisfaction among military officers over the level of external advice the Head of State was receiving, particularly from civilians.

“I wasn’t privy to the details of why he was removed, but I was told that the military resented the fact that he was relying more on external advice and second-guessing decisions from the Supreme Military Council,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on July 13, 2025, at the age of 82, led Nigeria both as a military ruler and as a democratically elected president. His political career spanned several decades, culminating in an eight-year civilian presidency from 2015 to 2023.

1SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER NOW

Support MATAZ ARISING’ journalism of integrity and credibility.

Good journalism ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

We ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

0.00USD

Amount
0.00

TEXT AD: To advertise here – Email ad@matazarising.com

LATEST POSTS