In contrast, Dalung described the cabals in Tinubu’s administration as “sophisticated and ambitious,” emphasizing their expertise and strategic understanding of governance. He warned that their level of control could lead to greater challenges for the presidency.
Abuja, Nigeria – Former Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has raised concerns about the influence of cabals surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing them as more dangerous and sophisticated than those in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Tuesday, Dalung highlighted the growing power of Tinubu’s inner circle. He noted that while cabals existed during Buhari’s tenure, they were less educated and lacked the experience of the current crop of powerbrokers in Tinubu’s administration.
“Of course, President Muhammadu Buhari’s government had cabals. That is known and that I have attested to,” Dalung said. “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.”
In contrast, Dalung described the cabals in Tinubu’s administration as “sophisticated and ambitious,” emphasizing their expertise and strategic understanding of governance. He warned that their level of control could lead to greater challenges for the presidency.
“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,” Dalung said. “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 barricades 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.”
The former minister further described the cabals around Tinubu as “masters” of power dynamics, capable of stifling the president’s reach and controlling access to him. “These cabals are masters, and therefore, are more dangerous than any cabal in the history of this country,” Dalung added.
Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, 2023, after narrowly winning the February 2023 presidential election, had previously stated in July 2024 that he was not under the control of any cabal or powerful individuals. However, Dalung’s comments suggest otherwise, painting a picture of a presidency increasingly influenced by an ambitious and manipulative inner circle.
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