How cabals hijacked Buhari’s govt after 2015 victory – ex-minister Dalung
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IThe former minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung , made a rare insider statement on former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 administration.
Dalung alleged that cabals hijacked Buhari’s government shortly after his 2015 electoral victory.
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This claim made in an interview with Mic on Podcast on December 12, 2024, painted a picture of a presidency veering off its promised path due to manipulative forces operating behind the scenes.
Dalung said, “I am completely disappointed because…what we told Nigerians was not what happened… It was a lie… Buhari was also used and dumped. Buhari’s charisma was needed then by the political elite to eliminate Jonathan. And shortly after Buhari had taken over power, these sets of elites emerged and hijacked the government, and Buhari was a stranger in his government.”
Recall that Dalung served as a minister under Buhari’s first term (2015-2019). He did not hold back in his revelatory claim of how the administration was run.
He went further to say that he could corroborate his statement. Stating that in 2020, when he visited the president in his office with challenging issues of insecurity, economic hardship, and poverty ravaging Nigerians, the president expressed shock at such news.
According to Dalung, this means that the President wasn’t aware of what was happening in the country.
Daily Trust reports that when Dalung was asked who the Cabals were, he said they were “a group of ambitious people who were also appointed by the same president to help him govern, but they ran his presidency at their own expense and interest.”
Punchng reports that Dalung said, “When the president was declared winner, I was with him in his office. I went to see him in the evening. That very day, I was blocked from going into his house, and this was the same place as the last night of the previous day; I was there till 2 a.m.
I was blocked until I had to make calls before I was allowed to go in till I was able to make calls to assess Buhari before I was allowed. So, from that day, the cabal had taken over.”
Dalung further added that the people who truly worked for Buhari “went celebrating” and left the president vulnerable.
“These people, who understood power, took over and ran the government to their interest until eight years were gone.”
Recall that during Buhari’s administration, the term “Cabal” gained notoriety, with speculations about a close-knit group of loyalists and associates dictating policy and sidelining elected officials.
When Buhari declared, “I am for everyone; I’m not particular persons,” that might be him giving the country hints about these manipulative sets of groups: the cabals.
However, Dalung’s revelations have sparked widespread reactions.
Many Nigerians have taken to social media to express their dismay, with some corroborating his claims based on observable inconsistencies during Buhari’s presidency.
While these claims demand a thorough investigation, they also underscore the need for stronger institutions and greater transparency in leadership.
As Nigerians reflect on the Buhari administration’s legacy, Dalung’s statement serves as a reminder of the promises made in 2015 and the realities that unfolded in the years that followed.
