Professor Ibrahim Gambari, former Chief of Staff to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has shed light on Buhari’s leadership style and reluctance to remove underperforming ministers during his administration.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Gambari described Buhari as a compassionate and loyal leader, stating that the former president's deep sense of personal loyalty made him hesitant to dismiss cabinet members, even amid widespread criticism.

 “He loved his appointees just as he loved Nigerians,” Gambari said, emphasizing Buhari’s aversion to confrontation and preference for stability within his team.

Gambari, who served as Chief of Staff from May 2020 until the end of Buhari’s tenure in May 2023, also confirmed the existence of a "cabal" within the presidency, a small group of powerful individuals who exerted informal influence over the president.

 “Every government has a cabal... Obasanjo had his own. It’s the nature of the presidency,” he explained, likening the group to a kitchen cabinet or think tank.

While Gambari declined to name the individuals involved, he acknowledged that they occasionally bypassed protocol, submitting memos directly to the president despite official guidelines that all correspondence must go through the Chief of Staff.

 “Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo followed the process, but some people still managed to smuggle their memos directly to the president because they knew his weak spots,” Gambari stated.

He admitted that although this undermined official procedures, the memos often found their way back to his desk eventually.

Despite the influence wielded by these informal advisers, Gambari said they knew their limits and did not overstep the boundaries of the president's authority.