Tinubu’s cabal more sophisticated than Buhari’s, Says Ex-Minister

Former Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung has expressed concerns about the influence of powerbrokers around President Bola Tinubu, describing them as more sophisticated and dangerous than those who surrounded former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Dalung argued that while Buhari’s cabal members were less educated, the individuals influencing Tinubu are well-educated, ambitious, and possess a deep understanding of power dynamics.

Dalung, who served in Buhari’s administration, described the former president as a “stranger” in his own government, suggesting that cabal members overshadowed his leadership.

He warned that the cabal surrounding Tinubu could manipulate power, control access to the president, and restrict information flow.

However, Dalung said, “Of course, President Muhammadu Buhari’s government had cabals. That is known and that I have attested to. But I am saying that President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabals were made up of people who were not quite informed, with little experience in politics, public administration, and governance. And so, their activities were more or less limited to their parochial view of understanding power relations and exchanging hands to help themselves with the public purse.

“But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabal is made up of sophisticated and ambitious group of people who had a long history in power. They are experienced, they are educated, and so they have sound knowledge of what power is.

“And since they are an ambitious set of people, the presidency will suffer more than that of President Muhammadu Buhari because of their capacity to manipulate power, their capacity to also build security barricade around the president and stifle information from getting to the president except that which they wanted, and then the control of those they would want to access the president.

“These cabals are masters, and therefore, are more dangerous than any cabal in the history of this country.”

Platinumpost reports that In July 2024, Tinubu, who took office in May 2023 after a fiercely contested election, declared his independence from any cabals or influential moneybags.