By Callistus Agwaza
Of all the things President Muhammadu Buhari said at his inaugural speech on 29th May in 2015, what most Nigerians took to heart and still comes to mind readily is his famous statement “I belong to nobody and I belong to everybody”.
This was a statement of assurance that the nightmare of ‘Cabalism‘ would not be allowed a place in his government. Coming at a time the memories of the last days of former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua and the role of the cabal in destabilising the system were still fresh, Nigerians received this assurance with cheerful hearts and great delight.
To the greatest chagrin of most however, it became crystal clear that the administration is more enmeshed in cabalism than any previous administration in the country.
After barely a year in government, wife of the President Aisha Buhari was quoted to have alleged that the government was hijacked by some powerful forces who were not allowing her husband to perform optimally. At the time, the President waved it away with his infamous “my wife belongs to the kitchen and the other room”.
But as events unfold, especially with his health deteriorating very fast, the cabal is becoming more obvious and her fears crystal clear to everyone.
While the cabal has allegedly been locked in a supremacy battle over who controls the President since inception, it is only recently that the battles became obvious to the ordinary Nigerian.
The fighting between the two major cabals so far has cost the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal his seat and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) his confirmation as substantive chairman, among others.
What is now most frightening however, is the move by the cabal to make sure that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo does not make it as the President in the event that President Buhari is not able to make it back alive.
While Nigerians are praying fervently for their president to recover and return home soon, this group of people are focused on scheming how to oust the acting president and install one of theirs as the president of Nigeria, and show no genuine care about the President.
When the president traveled out earlier this year for medical attention, the plot became so tensed that the Senate President Bukola Saraki had to come out and deny knowledge of any plot to oust the acting president. Most Nigerians had their reservations but things moved on. But it did not end there.
When the SGF was suspended, he asked a fundamental question, which most analyst agree pointed to the fact that President Buhari may not be in charge of the president but is controlled by some cabal operating behind the scene.
His suspension was also alleged to have been a move by the cabal to put in place their men in strategic places to be able to perfect their scheme in the unfortunate event of the President’s demise.
Most recently, it was alleged that the cabal wanted to orchestrate a coup d’etat to take over power. Though the Chief of Army Staff General Burutai came out to deny plans by the military to take over power and to warn any military officer with such plans to discard it immediately, the threat it presents is obvious and the possibilities are glaring.
The question most Nigerians are asking is why the cabal is so desperate to ensure that the acting president never takes over as a president should circumstances call for that.
The cabal are top beneficiaries of systemic confusion and would do whatever it takes to remain politically very relevant. Comprising of some governors, security leaders and some northern elders, the cabal is said to determine major policies of the administration including who gets what appointment and who gets sacked or suspended from the government.
But beyond these–which most people consider as just a smokescreen–the cabal is said to be unraveling an Islamic agenda that the acting president would never subscribe to and would definitely frustrate should he become the substantive president.
This, according to reliable sources explained why there were no single herdsmen attacks on any part of the country throughout the period that the president was away on medical leave and the vice president Osinbajo took over in acting capacity.
While the allegations are weighty and most Nigerians would wish they were not true, some of the events in recent past give more credit to the rumors than disparage them.
It is therefore imperative that the security apparatuses step up their game to ensure that the cabal is cut to size and not allowed to throw the country into another era of total confusion and conflict for their own selfish interests.
As it stands, Nigeria is enjoying an uneasy calm with nerves quite frayed and could easily explode if triggered.
Nigerians would certainly continue to pray for the President to recover and return home soonest, but in the unfortunate, unwanted, and un-prayed-for event that this is not tenable, the constitution must be allowed to take its cause for the good and sustainability of the country.
