Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo has openly declared that he runs what he described as a “working cabal” within his administration, insisting that the arrangement is delivering results for the state.
Ododo stated this while addressing an audience at a recent project inauguration, where he contrasted his current inner circle with a previous one he belonged to under former governor Yahaya Bello.
“I was a member of cabal, but our own cabal could not perform the way these present cabals are working,” TheCable quoted the governor as saying.
He argued that governance thrives when key decision-makers function effectively as a unit, even if such a structure is labelled a cabal.
“If every cabal can work like this, I think we should better have multiple cabals, as many as we can,” he said.
Ododo said he had no regrets about operating with a close-knit group and openly expressed pride in the arrangement.
“And I am proud to tell you that I have cabal,” he said.
“One of the achievements of having cabal is what we are about to commission here.”
The governor went further to identify the head of the group, stressing that the appointment had the backing of his predecessor.
“The leader of my cabal, approved by His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello, Hajia Dr Habibat Tijani Aliyu, the accountant-general of our dear state,” Ododo said.
He also listed other key figures he described as members of the cabal.
“The auditor general is a member of this cabal, the party chairman is a member of this cabal, SA protocol is a member of this cabal, the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs is a critical member of this cabal,” he said.
Reflecting on his time in the previous administration, Ododo lamented the limited impact of the earlier group.
“How I wish my own cabal then could perform even one percent of this one,” he said.
Responding to criticisms and phone calls alleging that he runs a cabal, the governor doubled down on his stance.
“So those of you that are calling me, calling my wife, calling my mother, calling Yahaya Bello, that Ododo has cabal, my cabal is a working cabal.”
Ododo, an accountant by training, served as the auditor-general for local governments in Kogi State during Bello’s administration before emerging governor and assuming office in January 2024.
Bello, his predecessor and political benefactor, governed Kogi State from 2016 to 2024 and is currently facing a 19-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering amounting to N80.2 billion.
