Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, who served as chief of staff to former president Muhammadu Buhari, has come clean about the existence of cabals in every administration.
During an interview that Gistcon watched on Monday on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” Gambari made the comment that the president is often told what he wants to hear rather than what he needs to know by certain cabals. On the legacy of the Buhari administration, he was speaking.
If the people are on board and supportive, the president can only do so much. Putting one’s love of country ahead of one’s own self-interest is the essence of true loyalty.
In the past, every president had his inner circle. The term “inner caucus” could describe this group. Those closest to them have been through similar things. They have a common outlook on what lies ahead and know people who can tell them straight out.
Unfortunately, there are cabals that only inform the president of what he wants to hear, rather than what he needs to know. They are present in all governments. Some are more devoted to the principle than others, and some have more sway over the others.
For the brief time I spent working with the so-called “cabals” in Buhari’s administration, I can attest to the fact that they were given far more authority than they truly possessed.
In his opinion, Buhari possesses a certain amount of “creative stubbornness” reminiscent of the late Obafemi Awolowo, and his opponents were aware of this. “They dared not push beyond that,” he added.